1,000 Nepalese students returned to campus amid NHRC probe: KIIT

Bhubaneswar: Amid the probe by the NHRC and Odisha Police into the alleged suicidal death of a B Tech girl student, KIIT University has claimed that 1,000 of the 1,100 Nepalese students who left the campus in the wake of the February 16 unrest have returned to the institute in Bhubaneswar.

The private university made this claim on Friday after Odisha’s Higher Education Minister, Suryabanshi Suraj, informed the Assembly that the state government formed a professor committee to ensure a proper academic environment on the KIIT campus.

"As many as 1,000 Nepalese students out of 1,100 have returned to KIIT-DU to resume their academic pursuits after temporarily leaving the campus in the wake of the February 16 incident. The remaining 100 students are on their way and will be arriving soon," the KIIT said in a statement, adding that the students' return demonstrates the strong ties between the institute and its international student community, particularly from Nepal.

The Nepalese students were allegedly evicted from the campus by KIIT employees after they demanded justice for 20-year-old Prakriti Lamsal, who died by suicide in her hostel room on February 16.

The students allegedly were beaten up, verbally abused and even thrown out of the campus as they staged a demonstration over the Nepalese girl student’s death.

Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli had expressed concern over the manner in which the Nepalese students were treated by the KIIT authorities.

Later, the institute tendered an apology and urged the students to return to campus.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi also assured the complete safety of the Nepalese students after they returned to the campus in KIIT.

The state government has, meanwhile, set up a helpdesk to facilitate the return of Nepalese students and also launched a dedicated International Student Facilitation Cell to support and assist international students across (Public/Private/Deemed) universities in the state.

In a statement, the varsity expressed gratitude to the central government, the Ministry of External Affairs, the Odisha Government, the Nepalese Government, and the Nepalese Embassy in New Delhi for the return of the students.

The authorities also said that in coordination with law enforcement authorities, KIIT had taken immediate steps to restore normalcy and ensure the safety and well-being of all students.

"With the situation stabilized, KIIT-DU engaged in continuous dialogue with the Nepal Embassy, student representatives, and parents to reassure them about the security and support available at the university. Special grievance redressal mechanisms were put in place to address any concerns and enhance the overall student experience," the statement said.

The varsity said that these efforts saw the return of Nepalese students to the campus with “renewed confidence".

"The university has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining an inclusive, safe, and academically enriching environment for all its students," it added.

As directed by the NHRC, its team has been undertaking an “on-spot” inquiry into the death of the female student and subsequent harassment of the Nepalese students allegedly by KIIT employees.

The NHRC inquiry team, led by its Registrar (Law) Joginder Singh, has collected evidence from the Odisha Police and interacted with the KIIT authorities, students and other persons concerned linked to the incident.

The commission has asked the team to submit its findings by March 10.

Besides Odisha Police and NHRC, the state government’s high-level committee headed by the additional chief secretary of the Home Department is also probing the KIIT incident.

The police have meanwhile arrested 11 people, including one engineering student, on the charge of abetment to suicide.