Chaos at KIIT Following Nepali Student Death and Forcibly Eviction

Students erupted in protests on the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) campus in Bhubaneshwar after a third-year B.Tech student, Prakriti Lamsal from Nepal, died by suicide. She was found dead in her hostel room on Feb 16.

Some students said that Prakriti was harassed and mentally tortured by her ex-boyfriend Advik Srivastava. Her cousin mentioned in the complaint that Advik used to blackmail her, which might forced her to hang herself. The Lucknow police apprehended the accused at the Biju Patnaik International Airport when he was trying to leave Bhubaneswar. Police seized Advik Srivastava’s mobile phones and laptops for further investigation. Police said that they found a flight ticket dated 16 February as he was attempting to flee after Lamsal’s death.

Following Prakriti Lamsal’s death, over 500 Nepali students protested and blocked roads, saying the KIIT management had ignored Prakriti’s complaints and forced her to take this drastic step. In response, KIIT management ordered close to 500 Nepali students to vacate the campus indefinitely. Some videos surfaced of staff making insensible racial comments and hurting their self-respect.

The university is now the center of student protests, diplomatic intervention, and probe after it After receiving criticism from students and officials. Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma to condemn the forced eviction. He requested the Indian government to intervene for justice. After the Odisha government stepped in and instructed, KIIT reversed its decision and assured them that academic activities would resume as usual.

Earlier, KIIT issued a statement – “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,” said the statement. However, some students anticipate there could be a different reason. Since the case took a diplomatic turn, students expect authorities to investigate the case with seriousness.