A high-level committee established by the Odisha Government began investigating the alleged mistreatment of Nepali students at KIIT University in Bhubaneswar. The three-member team, including officials from various departments, visited the university and engaged with stakeholders and affected students. Following the tragic death of student Prakriti Lamsal, allegedly due to harassment by her boyfriend, the police sought court approval for a remand to interrogate the accused. Odisha’s Chief Minister assured justice and encouraged Nepali students to return to campus. Protests continue for Prakriti, reflecting the community’s demand for accountability. The situation is delicate, with ongoing dialogues involving local and Nepali officials.
Bhubaneswar:
A three-member high-level committee formed by the Odisha Government to investigate the reported mistreatment of Nepali students by KIIT University in Bhubaneswar commenced its inquiry into the concerning incident on Wednesday.
The committee consists of the Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department, the Principal Secretary for Women and Child Development, and the Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Higher Education Department. They visited the university and engaged in discussions with various stakeholders regarding the issue.
While addressing the media at the university, Home Department Additional Chief Secretary Satyabrata Sahu stated, “Following the directives of the state government, we have arrived here to discuss matters with various stakeholders. We are here to inspect the locations where the incidents occurred and will also talk to the affected students. We will submit our report to the government in due course.”
The Bhubaneswar-Cuttack police commissioner, who was part of the high-level committee’s visit, informed reporters that the police have sought court permission to place Advik Srivastava, the accused in the case involving Nepali student Prakriti Lamsal, on remand for further inquiry.
“We have requested a three-day remand for the accused, during which we will conduct a detailed interrogation. This will help us strengthen the evidence we have through the information obtained during questioning. We aim to substantiate the harassment allegations based on the information collected during this process. We are committed to ensuring justice is served,” said Police Commissioner Dev Datta Singh.
He also mentioned that the laptop and mobile device of the deceased student have been seized and sent for examination at the forensic science laboratory.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi spoke with Nepali Counsellors Sanjeeb Das Sharma and Navin Raj Adhikari over the phone about the matter, assuring them that justice would be served in Prakriti’s case and that peace and normalcy would be restored on the KIIT campus.
The Chief Minister has encouraged Nepali students to return to the campus and continue their studies. Additionally, a Nepali delegation engaged in discussions with Ministers Mukesh Mahaling and Suryabanshi Suraj, as well as Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, at the State Guest House on Wednesday to facilitate the restoration of normalcy at KIIT.
Nepal’s Foreign Minister Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba also spoke with Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj regarding the incident. The Higher Education Minister later remarked that the young woman who passed away is not just a daughter of Nepal, but also a daughter of Odisha.
Meanwhile, students from the private university and several student organizations continued their protests, demanding justice for Prakriti, who took her life in her hostel room at KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, on Sunday due to ongoing harassment from her estranged boyfriend.
The police arrested the accused boyfriend on Monday based on a complaint filed by Prakriti’s cousin, Siddhant Sigdel.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)