A tragedy unfolded at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) campus in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. On Sunday (February 16), a student from Nepal died by suicide. Tension has gripped the KIIT university campus after Nepali students staged a protest. The matter escalated, prompting the Nepal Embassy to step in after instructions from Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
So what do we know about the girl who died by suicide and the student protests at KIIT university? And why did the Nepal PM have to intervene?
A Nepal national Prakriti Lamsal (20) was pursuing her BTech in computer science at KIIT university in Bhubaneswar. She was found dead in her hostel room on Sunday.
Following Prakriti Lamsal’s death, several posts emerged on social media claiming that she was being harassed by her former boyfriend. Her cousin filed a police complaint alleging that the woman was being blackmailed by a male student at the university, which led her to hang herself.
Police say that Lamsal was found dead in her hostel room. They received a complaint from a person identified as Siddhant Sigdel on Sunday evening that his cousin had committed suicide in her hostel room.
“The police team immediately visited the spot and seized the body. Our scientific team has collected her laptop and phone as demanded by the agitating student,” Bhubaneswar Deputy Commission of Police Pinak Mishra said. “We are undertaking a scientific investigation into the matter.”
A statement by KIIT on Monday (February 17) said, “A Nepali student studying in the third year of B-Tech committed suicide in the hostel yesterday. It is suspected that the student was in a love affair with another student studying at KIIT. It is suspected that the student may have committed suicide due to some reason.”
After Prakriti Lamsal’s death, at least 500 Nepali students started protesting at the KIIT campus in Bhubaneswar after which they claimed they were evicted. The students blocked the road near KIIT, alleging that the authorities failed to take any action when Lamsal approached the institute’s International Relations Office (IRO) to complain about the harassment by her batchmate.
KIIT registrar Jnyana Ranjan Mohanty confirmed that the student had lodged a complaint with the IRO over “misbehaviour by the accused”, reports The Indian Express. Officials at the IRO counselled both students and warned the accused. However, they had not kept anything in writing from the accused, Mohanty told the publication.
As protests at the university escalated, a senior police official appealed to the students to maintain peace. Two platoons of police personnel were deployed to maintain law and order.
The university ordered Nepali students to return home. They were filled into two buses and dropped at Cuttack Railway station on Tuesday (February 18). In a video, a university authority is seen saying that they are feeding “40,000 students for free”, which is more than “the budget” of Nepal, reports ThePrint. Firstpost could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
A notice shared on social media said that KIIT university said that it “is closed Sine Dine for all international students from Nepal. They are hereby directed to vacate the university campus immediately today on 17th February, 2025.”
According to Anil Prasad Yadav, a student from Nepal, they were pushed out of the hostel. “We went to the International Office and sat overnight on a dharna, but we were sent back. We were finally asked to pack up and leave within an hour. We don’t know how we will go. We did not have food. We are trying to get a ticket,” he told news agency ANI.
Another student Rajan Gupta said that they were forcibly made to vacate the hostel because they were protesting for the student who died by suicide. The staff members came and asked us to vacate. They even hit those who were not packing quickly,” he complained.
However, the institute later appealed to all Nepal students to “return to the campus and resume classes”. “The KIIT administration has taken all-out efforts to restore normalcy in the campus and hostels to resume the academic activities,” it said.
The U-turn came after the Nepal government intervened. The Odisha government also asked the university to let the students stay in the hostel.
The suicide and the evacuation of students caught the attention of the Nepal government. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said on Monday that the country’s embassy in New Delhi dispatched two officers to counsel students who were asked to leave the campus.
“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,” he wrote on X.
Nepal’s embassy extended heartfelt condolences to the family members of Prakriti Lamsal, the deceased student. “The educational institution has expressed its commitment to take the matter seriously and will insist on an independent and impartial investigation into the death” of the Nepali student, it said in a statement posted on X.
The embassy also assured that it was in touch with KIIT management and the Odisha state government about the situation of the students. It urged the institution to ensure the safety of students from Nepal residing there and received assurance from the KIIT administration.
After the intervention of the embassy, police arrested a third-year student linked with the suicide of the 20-year-old woman. The police have lodged a case on the allegation that a male student abetted her suicide, said DCP Mishra.
The KIIT administration has also termed the incident “unfortunate” and said the police apprehended the accused. It also claimed that the university has taken “all-out efforts to restore normalcy in the campus and hostels to resume the academic activities.”
The police have identified the accused as 21-year-old Advik Srivastava, who is a resident of Lucknow. He was detained from outside the airport on Sunday evening and was booked under section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for abetment of suicide.
According to the FIR, the accused was blackmailing Lamsal, which led her to take the extreme step.
As the case snowballs, Odisha’s Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj has expressed concern. He said Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has asked authorities to treat the matter with the “utmost seriousness”, considering India’s positive relationship with Nepal. He also criticised KIIT for evicting the Nepalese students, calling it an unjust move.
KIIT has suspended staff who tried to quell the student protests. The university said it has taken disciplinary action against its security staff and officials.
Two security staff have been dismissed and two senior hostel officials and a senior administrative officer from the IRO have been suspended pending a probe.
Prof Saranjit Singh, the vice chancellor of KIIT university, has issued a letter of apology. “KIIT has always been a home to students from across the world, fostering a culture of inclusivity, respect, and care. We deeply regret the recent incident and reaffirm our commitment to the safety, dignity, and well-being of all our students, including our dear Nepali students,” the institute posted on its official X handle along with a copy of the letter.
KIIT has also set up a 24/7 control room to assist Nepali students returning.
With inputs from agencies
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Why suicide of Nepali student at Odisha’s KIIT campus forced Nepal PM to intervene
