Row over student’s death at KIIT, Nepal sends team
Protesting students of KIIT University (deemed) alleged on Monday that authorities turned a deaf ear to the complaints made by the deceased student a month ago.
Bhubaneswar/New Delhi : The death of a Nepali student at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha triggered a controversy on Monday after the institution allegedly cracked down on students protesting against the incident and evicted them from the hostel, prompting the Nepal’s Prime Minister to intervene.
Tensions rose on the campus in Bhubaneswar after a third-year BTech student from Nepal was found dead in her hostel room on Sunday evening. The 20-year-old computer science student allegedly died by suicide after being harassed by a male student, authorities said.
Local police detained the male student -- the son of a civil engineer in Lucknow -- and lodged a case against him for allegedly abetting the suicide, Bhubaneswar deputy commissioner of police Pinak Mishra told reporters. He added that police had seized the mobile phone, laptop and other gadgets of the deceased and were conducting a scientific investigation.
Police said the accused, who knew the victim, had secretly taken a few photos of her which led to conflict between the two. “The accused used to blackmail the victim,” police commissioner S Dev Dutt Singh said.
News of the death prompted dozens of Nepali students to gather on the campus on Sunday night for a protest. Several of them said they were asked to leave KIIT. The university released a notice asking all students from Nepal to vacate the hostel. “We were protesting for the girl. We don’t know what their intentions are but we were forcibly made to vacate the hostel,” said Rajan Gupta, a student of KIIT.
A notice issued by KIIT said, “The university is closed sine die for all the international students from Nepal. They are hereby directed to vacate the university campus immediately today on February 17, 2025.”
As the controversy spiralled, Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Oli said that two officials from Nepal’s embassy in New Delhi were sent to the campus to assist students. “It has come to our attention that a Nepali student has died in the hostel of KIIT University and that Nepali students have been evicted from the hostel. The government is working through diplomatic channels and is in contact with the relevant authorities,” the PM wrote on social media.
Hours later, KIIT appealed to Nepali students to resume their classes. “The KIIT administration has taken all-out efforts to restore normalcy in the campus and hostels to resume the academic activities,” the institution said in a statement. “An appeal is made to all our Nepali students who have or plan to leave the campus to return and resume the classes.”
KIIT acknowledged there was an “unfortunate incident” on the campus on Sunday, following which “police apprehended the culprit”. KIIT said despite its best attempts, “some protestors appeared unwilling to listen to the university authorities and continued to create disruptions, posing a challenge to law and order”. “They also blocked the main road for hours, causing inconvenience. To prevent any untoward incidents and ensure a smooth investigation, Nepali students were advised to return to their respective places until the inquiry is completed,” a press release from KIIT said.
Currently, there are 500 Nepali students in KIIT.
Following the protest, authorities deployed dozens of police personnel on the campus. The university initially asked Nepalese students to go home, and several students said they were put in buses and dropped at Cuttack railway station. “We were pushed out of the hostel... We were told to leave within an hour. We don’t know how we will go,” said Anil Prasad Yadav, a student from Nepal at the railway station.
Later in the evening, the Indian embassy in Kathmandu said it was “deeply saddened by the tragic death of a Nepali student at KIIT.” “The embassy has been informed that the local authorities have initiated an investigation into the unfortunate incident. KIIT has also issued an appeal to the Nepali students to return to the campus, resume their classes. It has also assured that academic losses will be taken care of by the Institute,” the statement by the embassy stated.
Odisha higher education minister Suryabanshi Suraj said those responsible will face strict consequences. “We arrested the accused and sent them to court. The police seized all her personal belongings and are investigating them,” Suraj said.
