Nepali Student's Suicide at KIIT University Sparks Political Uproar and Promises of Action

Bhubaneswar - The controversy surrounding a Nepali student's suicide at KIIT University and subsequent treatment of protesting Nepali students has escalated into a political issue, with government promises of action and opposition plans to raise the matter in the state Assembly.

Odisha's Skill Development and Technical Education Minister Sampad Chandra Swain announced Thursday that "stringent action would be taken against those responsible" for the incident. He indicated Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has personally appealed to Nepali students to return to campus.

"The behavior shown towards the students was very shameful," Swain stated, criticizing the university's handling of the situation as "completely unacceptable." He confirmed the state government has formed a high-level committee to investigate the matter.

Senior government officials including Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj, Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling, and Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja have reportedly engaged with Nepali consular representatives regarding the incident.

Meanwhile, opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has blamed deteriorating law and order conditions for the situation. BJD MLA Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo described the suicide of student Prakriti Lamsal following alleged harassment as "shocking and unfortunate."

"What is more shocking is that some low-level authorities from the institution asked all Nepali students to leave the campus," Singh Deo stated. "It has become an international issue now. It has not only brought embarrassment to the institution but the state of Odisha and India."

The BJD has criticized the BJP-led government and police for failing to respond appropriately, claiming Nepali students reported that "local police got into their hostel rooms, snatched their phones and forcibly asked them to leave the campus."

Prakriti Lamsal, a third-year Computer Science student, died by suicide Sunday following alleged harassment by her former boyfriend Advik Shrivastava, who was arrested Monday while attempting to leave Bhubaneswar. Various student organizations have continued protests demanding a thorough investigation into both the suicide and alleged mistreatment of Nepali students by university authorities.