NHRC seeks action taken report from Odisha govt, UGC, NAAC over Nepalese woman's death in KIIT

Bhubaneswar: Finding gross negligence on the part of the authorities over the suicide of a 20-year-old B.Tech student from Nepal at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) here, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought an action taken report from the Odisha government, UGC and NAAC within four weeks.

The NHRC, which had sent a team to undertake an on-the-spot probe into the death of Nepalese student Prakriti Lamsal, on March 27 uploaded the case status on its website and stated that the rights panel has sought a report from Odisha's chief secretary, collector and district magistrate of Khurda district, commissioner of police, and chairpersons of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).

During the visit, the NHRC team found that the deceased woman had lodged a complaint with KIIT's International Relations Office (IRO) on March 12, 2024, months before taking the extreme step on February 16, 2025, the commission said.

She had named a male engineering student who had allegedly blackmailed her, it said.

"It is evident that the conduct of the IRO and university officers/disciplinary committee and college authorities (is) sufficient to show that there was gross negligence and omission on their part – IRO and university authorities -- which may (be) treated (as) amount to (an) act of abetment to suicide... which finally resulted in her suicide," the status report of the rights panel said.

The report also stated that the university officials have admitted to the fact that almost 1,000-1,100 students left their hostels on February 17, 2025 (a day after the girl's death) whereas almost 180 women students left their hostels in such haste that could have led to some other untoward incident but the college authorities did not bother about the safety of women students and they were thrown out of the campus.

"Regrettably, the university was unrepentant and even had the audacity to reply that there had been no merit in the allegations. This manifests sheer insensitivity, if not downright arrogance," it said.

Keeping in view of the findings, the commission issued a direction to the chief secretary of Odisha and the collector and district magistrate of Khurda to submit an action taken report.

The report should also submit clarification on non-compliance of recommendation/observations made by the child welfare committee (CWC), Khurda on July 6, 2017.

It stated that the CWC had recommended and requested the collector of Khurda for the formation of a joint inquiry committee to investigate the issue of poor living conditions at KISS (Kalinga Institute of Social Science) where tribal students were being educated free of cost.

The commissioner of police of Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissionerate, Odisha, is also directed to submit an updated investigation report of Infocity police station where a case was registered on the unnatural death of the Nepalese woman student.

Besides, the rights panel also asked the UGC to consider initiating requisite action against KIIT and KISS for violation of its guidelines and submit an action taken report.

The NAAC chairman was asked to examine the matter and submit an action taken report.

"Let the reports be submitted within four weeks (from March 27, 2025)," the commission said.

The Nepalese woman's body was recovered from her hostel room on the KIIT campus on February 16 following which tension mounted and students from the Himalayan nation were assaulted and forcibly evicted after they staged protests.

The incident had raised a nationwide outrage and the prime minister of Nepal also intervened in the matter.

The Odisha Police have arrested a male engineering student for alleged abetment to suicide and also 10 employees of KIIT on the charge of assaulting the Nepalese students following the unrest on the campus.

Apart from assuring the Nepalese students of safety and asking them to return to the campus and resume their studies, the state government had also constituted a high-level committee headed by the additional chief secretary of the home department to probe into the death of the Nepalese student and the subsequent unrest on the campus.

The issue was also raised in the Odisha Assembly and members cutting across party lines condemned the incident and stated that the death of the woman and subsequent attack on Nepalese students earned a bad name for the state as well as the country.

However, both the Odisha government and KIIT were yet to react to the NHRC status report and its directions.