Outrage in Nepal House over student suicide row at Odisha varsity: ‘Racist, humiliating’

As soon as Nepal’s House of Representatives assembled, Opposition members said the response of the KIIT authorities – to the death of Prakriti Lamsal, a third-year computer science student, as well as the protesting students — was “outrageous and humiliating for Nepal”.

Madhav Sapkota, a member of the Maoist Centre, said the treatment meted out to the Nepali students was “both insulting and unacceptable” for Nepal, and the K P Sharma Oli government should make it clear to India.

Dhurba Bahadur Pradhan, a member of the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party, said the government must take up the issue at the highest level in India and have a “thorough probe and necessary action taken”.

KIIT students protest in Bhubaneswar Tuesday. (PTI)

On Tuesday, the Odisha government formed a three-member fact-finding committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Satyabrata Sahu to ascertain the circumstances leading to the alleged suicide. The panel will also look into the alleged highhandedness by the university authorities, reasons for issuing eviction notice to the Nepal students and other aspects of the incident.

“Appropriate legal and administrative action shall follow based on the findings of the fact-finding committee,” said Higher Education Minister Suryavanshi Suraj.

Prakriti allegedly died by suicide in her hostel room on the KIIT campus on Sunday, triggering protests by students, many of them from Nepal.

As the situation escalated, the university evicted over 500 students from Nepal from the campus but backtracked on its decision after the Nepal embassy and Prime Minister Oli intervened on Monday.

Later on Tuesday, the Infocity Police arrested security guards Ramakaant Nayak and Jogendra Behera, and KIIT employees Sibananda Mishra, Pratap Kumar Champaty and Sudhir Kumar Rath. All five were charged under BNS Sections 115 (2) (causing hurt to any person), 126 (2) (wrongful restraint), 296 (obscene act) and 3(5) (common intention).

Students during the protest over the death of a Nepali student at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), in Bhubaneswar, Tuesday (PTI Photo)

The university had earlier terminated the services of the two security guards, who were caught on video assaulting protesting students from Nepal, and suspended two hostel officials. It also suspended an administrative officer of the university’s International Relations Office (IRO), where Prakriti had complained about “misbehaviour” of her batchmate, Advik Srivastava (21) from Lucknow. Srivastava was arrested on Sunday on charges of abettment of suicide.

According to a senior official, the state government is expected to seek an explanation from KIIT authorities on action taken against women staff of the university who allegedly made offensive remarks against the agitating students, a purported video of which has been circulating on social media.

In the video, the two women staff members are heard saying that the amount spent by the founder of the university for free education of 40,000 underprivileged students was more than the annual budget of Nepal. Several other videos have also surfaced that show security personnel roughing up protesting students.

Members of the Navnirman Krushak Sangathan (NKS) take out a candlelight march in protest over the death of a Nepali student at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) campus, in Bhubaneswar, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (PTI Photo)(PTI02_18_2025_000303B)

“The incident has hit the state’s reputation. The government has taken cognizance of the matter and will ask KIIT authorities to act against all officials,” a senior government official told The Indian Express.

Two Nepal embassy officials will be reaching Bhubaneswar to discuss the issue with the local administration, police and agitating students.

The post-mortem of the student is being conducted at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, following which the body will be handed over to her parents, who landed in Odisha on Tuesday.

Sunil Lamsal, father of the student, said, “We sent our daughter for higher education but this unfortunate incident happened here. We have full faith in the state government and police administration that they will give justice to our daughter. I just hope such things do not happen to anyone else in the future.”