2 officers of Nepal embassy likely to visit Odisha institute over student's death

Bhubaneswar: Two officers from the Nepal embassy in Delhi are likely to visit a private engineering institute in Odisha's Bhubaneswar after a student from the neighbouring country was found dead in her hostel on the campus, officials said on Tuesday.

The officers are also expected to meet a group of students from the Himalayan kingdom, who were allegedly evicted from their hostel, amid tension on the institute campus, they said.

The deceased, identified as Prakriti Lamsal, was a third-year B Tech student studying at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), the institute's registrar said.

As the situation escalated on the campus, KIIT authorities allegedly evicted several Nepali students from the hostel and dropped them at Cuttack railway station without making any arrangements for their travel.

Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli offered some relief to the distressed students.

On Monday, Oli posted on Facebook in Nepali, "It has come to our attention through media and social media that a Nepali student has died in a hostel of KIIT University in Odisha and that Nepali students have been forcibly evicted. The government is working on this matter through diplomatic channels and is in contact with the relevant authorities."

In a post on X later in the day, Oli said, "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." Odisha Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj said the state government has been monitoring the situation and will facilitate the Nepali students, who have allegedly been evicted from their hostel, to return to the KIIT campus.

The incident gained attention after the deceased's cousin filed a complaint at Infocity Police Station in Bhubaneswar, alleging that his sister hanged herself in her hostel room on Sunday.

He claimed that a boy student at the university had been blackmailing his sister, which, he believed, led to her suicide.

"It is suspected that the girl was having an affair with another student at KIIT, and she may have committed suicide for some reason," the institute said.

Noting that the state's relationship with Nepal is linked to Lord Jagannath's culture, the minister had said the home department has taken swift action and arrested the accused person who allegedly abated the girl to commit suicide.