New Delhi: Responding to the death of a Nepalese girl student at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University in Odisha’s Bhubaneswar, Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Monday said that his country’s embassy in New Delhi has dispatched two officers to counsel affected students who were allegedly forced to evacuate the campus following the incident.
Oli said, “Our Embassy in New Delhi has dispatched two officers to counsel Nepali students affected in Odisha. Additionally, arrangements have been made to ensure they have the option to either remain in their hostel or return home, based on their preference.”
Nepal’s embassy in India also expressed heartfelt condolences to the family members of the deceased student. The Embassy assured that it has been in contact with both KIIT authorities and the Odisha State Government.
Our Embassy in New Delhi has dispatched two officers to counsel Nepali students affected in Odisha.
Additionally, arrangements have been made to ensure they have the option to either remain in their hostel or return home, based on their preference. #Nepal #Odisha
— K P Sharma Oli (@kpsharmaoli) February 17, 2025
Investigation into suspected suicide underway
Local authorities have launched a probe into the incident, which is being regarded as a suspected suicide. Prakriti Lamsal, a third-year B-Tech student from Nepal, was found dead in her hostel room at KIIT. After her body was discovered, tension gripped the campus, with several Nepalese students staging protests calling for justice.
Her cousin filed a complaint at the Infocity police station, claiming that she took her own life due to blackmail and harassment by a male student. Bhubaneswar DCP Pinak Mishra had confirmed that a case has been filed on charges of abetment to suicide, with the accused student currently in police custody.
Initially, KIIT authorities issued a notice instructing all Nepali students to vacate the campus immediately. As per the notice, the institute was “closed sine die for all international students from Nepal”. The Nepalese students alleged that they were forced out without prior information.
Talking to reporters, Rajan Gupta, a Nepalese student, said: “We were protesting for the girl, and suddenly we were asked to vacate. We don’t know what their intentions are, but we were forcibly made to leave. I don’t have a train ticket or money.”
#WATCH | Odisha: A https://t.co/jHgpcuG1h1 third-year girl student from Nepal was found dead in KIIT University (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology) hostel in Bhubaneswar on 16th February. As per a notice issued by the University, the institute is hence closed sine die… pic.twitter.com/vVfgY140up
— ANI (@ANI) February 17, 2025
KIIT Registrar Prof Jnyana Ranjan Mohanty had said that the decision to ask Nepalese students to leave was made in response to their protests. After some hours of the initial evacuation notice, as the tension subsided, the management appealed to all the Nepalese students to return to their campus and resume attending classes.
