Nepalese student found dead in hostel room on KIIT campus in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: An 18-year-old Nepalese student of the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha's Bhubaneswar was found hanging from the ceiling fan of her hostel room on Thursday, police said.

The incident comes barely two and a half months after the suicide of Prakriti Lamsal, another Nepalese student of the same institute, on February 16, 2025.

The body of B Tech computer science student Prasa Saha from Nepal was recovered from room number 111 of the ladies' hostel of the institute, a senior officer said.

“Yes, the body of a girl from Nepal has been recovered. It seems that she has died by suicide at the ladies' hostel of KIIT,” Police Commissioner S. Dev Datta Singh told PTI.

He also said that the Odisha Police have already apprised the Nepal Embassy in New Delhi of the student's death.

“The deceased’s parents will reach Bhubaneswar on Friday, and after that post-mortem examination of the body will be conducted,” the police commissioner said, adding that the body has been sent to AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

Singh, who visited the ladies' hostel, said that an unnatural death (UD) case has been registered at the Infocity Police Station.

“We have not received any complaint. The police are probing the matter by engaging a scientific team. The investigation will reveal the truth,” he said, adding that girls in the hostel are being questioned and are cooperating with the police.

The CP said that the matter came to the fore when the hostel authorities were taking attendance of inmates around 7 PM.

Since there was no response from her room, they informed the police, and a team of police personnel found the student hanging from the ceiling fan of her hostel room, he said.

There was no comment from the KIIT authorities on the death of the Nepalese student.

Describing the incident as “unfortunate”, the Odisha government, in a statement, said, “The parents of the girl were informed about the incident immediately by the university authorities. In this hour of distress, the state government extends its support to the family of the deceased and offers its condolences to them”.

“On receipt of the information, senior officers, including the commissioner of police and revenue divisional commissioner, rushed to the site to enquire about the circumstances leading to the unfortunate incident and take necessary action in the matter. A forensic team is at the spot to collect evidence,” the release issued by the Information and Public Relations Department said.

The incident in February had triggered a protest after reports suggested that the victim was allegedly blackmailed, and the student ended her life for not getting justice from the private university authorities.

There was an outcry on the KIIT campus as the institute authorities, with the help of staffers and security personnel, had allegedly assaulted Nepalese students who demanded justice for the deceased.

The Nepalese students were "forcibly evicted" from the campus and "asked to leave for their country". Nepal's Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli raised the issue at the diplomatic level and requested the central government to ensure justice for the Nepalese students of the institute.

The state government then formed a high-level committee, headed by the additional chief secretary of the Home Department, to probe the matter. The NHRC also investigated the matter.

At least 10 university employees were arrested on a charge of assaulting Nepalese students, and one Indian student was sent to jail on a charge of abetting the suicide of the Nepalese girl.

As the tension prevailed, the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissionerate deployed additional force on the KIIT campus. Senior police officers were watching the situation, a senior official said.