KIIT suicide: 'Inhumanly treated', 159 students return to Nepal

On Thursday, Nepali foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba said the government has resolved the issue arising out of the death of the Nepalese female student through diplomatic channels.

Kathmandu: Days after a Nepalese female student allegedly died by suicide at KIIT and the college administration ordered Nepali students to vacate the hostel, 159 students have returned to the country via Raxaul border, an official has said.

Assistant Chief District Officer, Parsa, Suman Kumar Karki said that 159 Nepali students arrived home from the Raxaul border point till Thursday evening.

Prakriti Lamsal, 20, a third-year B Tech (Computer Science) student at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha, allegedly died by suicide at her hostel room on February 16, leading to unrest on the campus.

There are around 1,000 Nepalese students studying in KIIT, Odisha.

Speaking to media at Reporters’ Club in Kathmandu, a group of students who returned to Nepal said that they were subjected to “inhuman treatment” at the KIIT after the death of the Nepalese female student in the college hostel.

“After the mysterious death of Prakriti Lamsal, we were abused and got inhuman treatment,” students said.

“We were beaten up by security guards in the presence of university teachers and other staff and asked to vacate the hostel immediately,” they added.

The students said they didn’t feel safe to return to the college despite assurance given by the university administration.

“There was no safe and conducive environment for study despite the assurances given by the college,” they added.

They said the death of Prakriti Lamsal should be investigated properly and the victimised students should get justice.

On Thursday, Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba said the government has resolved the issue arising out of the death of the Nepalese female student through diplomatic channels.

Deuba, addressing the media at Tribhuvan International Airport upon her arrival from Oman where she had gone to attend the 8th Indian Ocean Summit, said, “The Nepal government has resolved the problem surrounding the death of a Nepali student in KIIT Odisha through diplomatic channels by handling the situation seriously.”

The foreign minister also said that she had talked to Odisha Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj regarding the matter and ensured an impartial investigation is conducted into the death of the female student and a safe environment is created for Nepalese students to return to their hostels and resume classes.

After the initiative taken by the Foreign Ministry of Nepal, the Odisha government has taken the issue seriously and a high-level investigation committee has also been formed, she said.

“After our response, the college has apologised for the incident and taken action against its staff who misbehaved with Nepalese students,” she said.

Meanwhile, a candlelight march demanding justice for Prakriti Lamsal was organised at Birgunj of Parsa district on Thursday evening.

Similarly, a group of students organised a protest rally in Bhairahawa of Rupandehi, home district of the deceased student, asking for justice.