Bhubaneswar: The alleged death by suicide of a Nepalese student at a private university in Odisha’s capital city and the indifferent attitude of the university staff towards the students from the Himalayan kingdom, who were asked to vacate their hostels immediately, have triggered an international outcry.
On Tuesday (February 18), the Odisha government has constituted a high-level fact finding committee to inquire into the incidents that took place at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) university in the wake of the suicide of a girl student from Nepal on the campus.
In a press release, the government said that it would take “appropriate legal and administrative” action in the matter based on the findings of the committee that consists of additional chief secretary, home department, principal secretary, women and child development department and commissioner-cum-secretary, higher education department.
The release, which said that the institution had been placed under notice, described the incidents as “unfortunate”. It said that “government of Odisha had taken immediate cognisance of the matter and taken steps to arrest security guards and suspension of erring officials involved.”
“The government of Odisha remains committed to ensuring the safety, dignity and well-being of every student. The Odisha government will take all necessary steps to ensure that justice is served swiftly and fairly,” the press release added.
Speaking on the issue earlier, Nepalese Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli threatened that it might “impact Indo-Nepal relations”. Following the backlash, the authorities at KIIT, Odisha’s first private university founded by former Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Achyut Samanta, have apologised for the inconvenience caused to the students from Nepal but the incident seems to have done irreparable damage to the image of the institution.
The incident that triggered protests
Trouble erupted at the university after the dead body of a 20-year-old undergraduate student from Nepal was found in her room on Sunday (February 16).
Although no suicide note was found, the student’s cousin, who is also a student at KIIT, told the Infocity police in his complaint that his sister was forced to take the extreme step because of alleged misbehaviour and blackmail by her ex-boyfriend, who is a third-year mechanical engineering student at the university.
Sources in the university blamed the death of the student on her boyfriend’s ‘abusive behaviour’. The victim allegedly also complained against him to the university authorities but to no avail.
After seizing her laptop and mobile phone, the police have arrested the boyfriend. Bhubaneswar-Cuttack commissioner of police S. Dev Datta Singh said the accused was nabbed on the basis of prima facie evidence that suggested that he was harassing the student.
Meanwhile, the incident triggered protests by Nepalese students who blocked the road outside the university campus, forcing police intervention. Next, the university authorities in a knee-jerk reaction declared the institute closed sine die for international students from Nepal and asked them to vacate the hostels on Monday (February 17).
The students, many of whom did not even have enough money to buy tickets to travel back home, were herded onto buses and abondoned at the Cuttack railway station. Many protested vociferously but their protests fell on deaf ears.
“We were asked to vacate the hostels after we protested against the death of the girl. We don’t know what their intentions are. I am neither sure of train timings nor do I have money to travel. We have not even had food. We are helpless. We were simply asked to vacate the hostels. The staff members entered the hostel and forced us to move out. They even hit those who were slow in vacating the hostel,” said Rajan Gupta, one of the Nepalese students abondoned by the KIIT authorities at Cuttack station.
As Nepal government stands by the students, KIIT authorities are in a damage control mode
As videos of harassed students describing their ordeal went viral on social media, Sharma Oli was forced to intervene. He assured the students that two officers from the Nepalese embassy in Delhi were being dispatched to take care of them.
“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 his X handle.
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. #Nepal #Odisha
— K P Sharma Oli (@kpsharmaoli) February 17, 2025
Meanwhile, Nepali parliamentarians have also urged the government to take immediate steps to ensure the safety of Nepali students studying in India. During an emergency session of the Nepal House of Representatives on Tuesday (February 18), MPs Chhabilal Bishwakarma, Madhav Sapkota, Dhruv Bahadur Pradhan, and Thakur Gaire called for a probe into the death of the student and also demanded action against those responsible, reported The Kathmandu Post.
Although officials had not yet arrived at KIIT by the time this report was filed, the fear of the issue gaining international attention has clearly put the KIIT authorities on the defensive, prompting a massive damage control effort.
On Monday (February 17) evening, KIIT registrar Jnyana Ranjan Mohanty issued a letter describing the incident as “unfortunate” and appealed to all the students from Nepal to return to the campus to resume classes.
“There was an unfortunate incident which took place late in the evening yesterday on the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) campus. Immediately after the incident police investigated the matter and apprehended the culprit. The KIIT administration has taken all out efforts to restore normalcy in the campus and hostels to resume the academic activities. An appeal is made to all our Nepali students who have or plan to leave the campus to return and resume the classes,” said the letter.
A few hours later, KIIT authorities, apparently having realised their mistake, opened a dedicated control room to facilitate the return of the Nepalese students to the campus. A 24×7 helpline was also set up to provide them support and guidance.
“We urge all Nepali students to reach out for any assistance. KIIT remains committed to their safety and well- being,” the university said in a statement.
On Tuesday (February 18), when the university saw a silent protest by foreign students studying there, additional registrar Shyam Sunder Behura told mediapersons that every possible effort was being made to bring back the Nepalese students who had left the campus.
Acknowledging that there had been a mistake, he said, “Almost 100 Nepalese students are already back. Bringing them back is our priority. Their parents are also being taken into confidence.”
He added that the Nepalese students had been asked to vacate the hostels because they had created trouble on the campus following the suicide of the student who was from their country. “They had blocked the road,” he said, adding that the university had so far received no communication from the Nepal government.
The university issued an apology in a “follow up” notice that said that two security staff had been immediately terminated and two senior hostel officials and one senior administrative officer of the International Relations Office (IRO) had been placed under suspension pending thorough inquiry.
“For our staff we recognise that certain comments were made in the heat of the moment and we apologise for any distress caused. We prioritise the safety and well being of students above all,” said the notice.
The apology came on a day when the incidents on the KIIT campus found an echo in the state Assembly with leaders cutting across parties expressing concern over the issue. Talking to reporters outside the Assembly, BJP MLA Babu Singh condemned the atrocities committed against Nepalese students and demanded action against KIIT authorities.
The insensitive behaviour of KIIT authorities against Nepalese students was also condemned by the father of the student, who died by suicide. He reached Bhubaneswar this morning.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, “This is unfortunate. Students come to study here from far off countries because of your assurance. You should not treat them in this manner.” He, however, admitted that university authorities as well as the police were cooperating with him and he expected that justice would be done to him.
The viral video clips
The insensitive behaviour of the KIIT authorities was evident from one of the video clips that went viral on social media. It captured heated exchanges between university officials and students purportedly inside the hostel where the deceased resided.
At one point during the argument, a female official is seen asking the Nepalese students to go wherever they felt safe while stating that the amount spent by the university on students’ welfare was more than the national budget of Nepal. The statement was widely criticised and even led to protests by student.
“Do not insult the founder of this university. The man is feeding 40,000 students for free. Such an amount would even be more than your country’s entire budget,” the official can be heard saying in the clip.
The alleged highhandedness of KIIT authorities has also drawn protests from various students’ organisations which demanded strict action against the guilty and an apology from the university to the Nepalese students.
“We urge the university to issue an immediate apology to Nepali students, ensure their accommodation and food arrangements, and provide adequate compensation to the deceased student’s family,” said the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), noting that such incidents could adversely impact the strong ties between India and Nepal.
If you know someone – friend or family member – at risk of suicide, please reach out to them. The Suicide Prevention India Foundation maintains a list of telephone numbers they can call to speak in confidence. The TeleManas helpline, a government helpline functions 24×7, the numbers are:1-800 891 4416/14416. You could also take them to the nearest hospital.
