NHRC orders on-spot inquiry into Nepal student’s February 16 ‘suicide’ at KIIT

According to the NHRC order issued on March 3, the commission has asked its Registrar (law) to conduct an on-spot inquiry at KIIT, Bhubaneswar, along with a team of two officers from the investigation division — one not below the rank of SSP and one officer/official from the law division. The inquiry will be conducted as per the provisions of Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, says the order. The commission has sought the inquiry report by March 10.

The NHRC issued the order on a complaint filed by a Bhubaneswar resident, Ashutosh B, who alleged that Prakriti died by suicide after allegedly being harassed by another student, Advik Srivastava. He also accused KIIT’s International Relations Office (IRO) of neglecting Prakriti’s complaints and “contributing to her suicide”.

According to the complaint, protests by Nepalese students seeking justice were met with “verbal abuse, threats, and physical assault by KIIT officials and security guards”. Also, the complainant accused KIIT and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences of exploiting tribal children, violating their human rights and engaging in illegal land acquisitions.

Ashutosh alleged that a report of the Child Welfare Committee, Khurda, in 2017 revealed poor living conditions at Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, including overcrowding, unclean facilities and lack of basic amenities. He urged the commission to take action against KIIT officials, including its founder Achyuta Samanta, for their failure to address harassment complaints and their alleged involvement in the exploitation of tribal students.

Last month, the NHRC of Nepal had requested its counterpart in India for an early investigation into the alleged suicide of Prakriti at KIIT, and to ensure the safety of the students from Nepal studying on the campus.

The Odisha police have registered two separate cases, one under abetment of suicide charges and arrested Srivastava, a Lucknow resident, and another against KIIT officials for allegedly manhandling students from Nepal who were protesting against the university authorities over Prakriti’s death. The Odisha government has also formed a high-level committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Satyabrata Sahu to conduct a probe into the matter.