KIIT University News: A massive protest erupted at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha's Bhubaneswar after an engineering student from Nepal was found dead in the campus premises on Sunday. The police stated that the primary investigation suggested that the 20-year-old died by committing suicide, and her body has been sent to the Capital Hospital for postmortem.
Prakriti Lamsal, the deceased, was pursuing a B.Tech in computer science from the KIIT and was reportedly being harassed by one of her batchmates. Police stated that the accused batchmate has been detained and is being questioned in connection with the case. The officials further informed that an FIR has been filed under sections of abetment to suicide.
Nepal Prime Minister KP Oli Reacts
Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli has also reacted to the incident by stating the Nepal government is in touch with the relevant authorities. "It has come to our attention through media and social media that a Nepali student has died in the hostel of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University in Odisha and that Nepali students have been forcibly evicted from the hostel. The government is working on this matter through diplomatic channels and is in contact with the relevant authorities," Oli stated in a post on X.
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On the incident at KIIT University, Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli posts on social media, says "It has come to our attention through media and social media that a Nepali student has died in the hostel of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University in Odisha and that… pic.twitter.com/pUuaI96KDt
— ANI (@ANI) February 17, 2025
"Administration Took No Action"
The angry students on Monday blocked the roads to the university and protested against the administration, adding that they took no action even after the deceased informed them beforehand. The students stated that Lamsal had complained about the harassment by her batchmate to the International Relations Office at the university, reported the Indian Express.
Besides, students from Nepal on Monday were asked to leave the hostel on an immediate basis. The students claimed that they were not given prior information and do not have the resources to travel.
"We were pushed out of the hostel today. A girl from Nepal was found dead yesterday. We went to International Office to find out more details about this but we could not find anything. We were there overnight, sitting on a dharna. We were sent back to hostel from there. We were finally told to pack up and leave within an hour. We have nothing with us. We don't know how we will go. We have not even had food...We are trying to get a ticket," Anil Yadav from Nepal was quoted as saying by ANI.
However, the university authorities stated that they are cooperating with the administration, adding that the student died because of a strained relationship.
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