Ajoy Kumar Misra from Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar-based Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) has forcibly evicted over 300 Nepalese students from the campus after an engineering girl student from the Himalayan nation committed suicide in her hotel room triggering a major controversy with the Odisha government ordering an independent probe.
Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli has deputed two officials from the embassy in New Delhi to Bhubaneswar after the students alleged they were beaten up and harassed.
Amid the controversy, the state government formed a committee chaired by Additional Chief Secretary Home to probe the incident even as the KIIT, a private university, sought a public apology over the alleged assault on some Nepalese students.
Prakriti Lamsal (20), the third year B Tech student had committed suicide in her hostel room on Sunday. The suicide enraged other Nepalese students who began noisy protests in the campus alleging that the varsity authorities were trying to ‘suppress’ the issue.
The issue also figured in the State Assembly with a Congress leader Taraprasad Bahinipati threatening to stage dharna in the well of the House if no thorough investigation was done.
Describing the incident serious, the state Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj said sought to pacify the agitated member saying the committee, which will also have a woman member, will probe the incident threadbare.
“The KIIT incident is an unfortunate one. The Nepalese students are our guests. Such an incident happened in the private university like KIIT. An independent committee will be formed under the ACS Home,” he said.
He said the committee will probe as to why the varsity authorities sent the Nepalese students to Cuttack Railway station– around 25 km from Bhubaneswar and why they forced the Nepalese student to sign some papers.
Surprisingly, the institute did not inform the state government about the incident.
“The police are keeping a close watch and varsity authorities have been directed to bring back all the students,” Suraj said.
A report is being sought from the authorities every hour and Government is keen to restore normalcy in varsity campus, he said adding that the Deputy Collector is with the family of the deceased student. The ADM has also been instructed to stay in the KIIT campus, he added.
Meanwhile, the University authorities issued a public apology over the incidents of Monday. “We are extremely appalled by the untoward incident that took place in our campus on the evening of 16th February 2025. We are also regretful of the way some of us behaved with the agitating students. We love our students and had never done any disservice to them. The comments made by two of our officers are extremely irresponsible,” it said.
Although the comments are made on their personal capacity on the spur of the moment, we do not support their action, the varsity said.
“We have terminated their service,” the varsity announced adding, “They too have apologized for their behaviour. We too apologize for all that has happened and hereby tender our love and affection to all the students and people of Nepal.”
The students have also made an appeal to the Odisha State Human Rights Commission saying the circumstances surrounding the student’s death are disturbing, with allegations of foul play. They demanded immediate arrest of the students responsible.
“However, what is equally alarming is the university authorities’ decision to declare the institute Sine die, close the hostel just before the semester and forcibly vacate all the Nepali students from the institution, leaving them stranded at the Cuttack railway station. They were seriously beaten up by the private security guards and hostel warden while resisting to the hostel,” it said.
The KIIT Authorities threatened them to leave the campus, board the bus and return to Nepal immediately, the students alleged.
Meanwhile, Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli has deputed two officials from the Nepal embassy in New Delhi to visit KIIT campus and meet the students, who were evicted from their hostel, amid mounting tension.