Nepalese Lady, 18, Discovered Lifeless At Odisha’s KIIT, 2nd Case In 90 Days
Bhubaneswar:
A Nepalese undergraduate pupil was discovered lifeless in her hostel room on the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Expertise (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar on Thursday night, marking the second such demise involving a Nepalese pupil on the college inside three months.
The scholar has been recognized as a first-year pupil enrolled within the Pc Science B.Tech programme. She was a local of Birgunj, positioned roughly 135 km from the Nepalese capital Kathmandu. Her physique was found hanging from the ceiling fan in her room at one of many institute’s ladies’ hostels, police stated.
Police and college officers had been alerted round 8:00 pm earlier than forensic groups had been dispatched to the scene. Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissioner Suresh Dev Datta Singh confirmed the restoration of the physique and stated that the matter is being handled as a case of suspected suicide, pending the result of the autopsy examination.
“At present, we now have obtained info {that a} lady from Nepal has died by suicide on the KIIT College. We reached there and investigated the matter. An in depth investigation can be carried out into the matter. The scientific staff arrived, and all the required particulars had been collected. Her household has been knowledgeable. The physique has been despatched to AIIMS for the autopsy,” Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissioner Suresh Dev Datta Singh stated.
Safety has been heightened in and across the college premises, because the incident has rekindled issues over the protection and welfare of worldwide college students, significantly these from Nepal.
Second Such Incident
That is the second time in lower than 90 days {that a} Nepalese pupil has died underneath comparable circumstances at KIIT. On February 16, Prakriti Lamsal, a third-year B.Tech pupil and likewise a Nepalese nationwide, was discovered lifeless in her hostel room. Ms Lamsal’s demise had led to widespread protests from the Nepalese pupil neighborhood and criticism of the college, based and run by Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief and former MP Achyuta Samanta.
In Ms Lamsal’s case, it later emerged that she had filed a proper grievance with the college’s Worldwide Relations Workplace (IRO) alleging sexual harassment by a fellow pupil. Regardless of the grievance, no speedy motion was taken by the college administration, prompting a powerful response from college students and civil society teams. The Nationwide Human Rights Fee of India had subsequently described the college’s inaction as “gross negligence.” The accused in that case was arrested a day after her demise.
Authorities Response
Responding to Thursday’s incident, Odisha’s Division of Info and Public Relations issued an announcement providing condolences and reaffirming that the state authorities would guarantee an intensive investigation.
“The mother and father of the lady had been knowledgeable in regards to the incident instantly by the college authorities. On this hour of misery, the state authorities extends its help to the household of the deceased and gives its condolences to them,” the assertion learn.
The International Minister of Nepal, Arzu Rana Deuba, additionally reacted to the incident. In a publish on social media platform X (previously Twitter), she confirmed that diplomatic channels had been activated to make sure a clear investigation.
“Instantly after the incident, the Ministry of International Affairs initiated diplomatic initiatives to research the reality of the incident by means of high-ranking officers of the Authorities of India, the Authorities of Odisha, and the Nepali Embassy in Delhi,” Ms Deuba wrote.
भारतको ओडिसास्थित कलिंगा इन्स्टिच्यूट अफ इन्डस्ट्रियल टेक्नोलोजी (केआईआईटी) विश्वविद्यालयमा अध्ययनरत नेपाली छात्रा प्रिसा साह आफ्नै होस्टेल कोठामा मृत भेटिएको घटनाले निकै मर्माहित बनाएको छ। प्रिसाको आत्माको चिर शान्तिको कामना गर्दै यस दुखद घडीमा उनको परिवाजनमा गहिरो समवेदना… pic.twitter.com/ojPdVadvXI
— Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba (@Arzuranadeuba) Could 2, 2025
She additional expressed condolences to the sufferer’s household, saying, “The demise has deeply saddened us. I pray for everlasting peace to her soul and prolong heartfelt sympathies to her grieving household.”
Scholar Protests
Scholar our bodies and organisations representing the Nepalese neighborhood in India described the incident as a “disturbing sample” of neglect and failure in pupil welfare on the college.
“We demand an neutral and speedy investigation. This isn’t an remoted case. Two Nepali ladies have died in the identical hostel inside three months. There have to be solutions, and if anybody is responsible-whether by means of motion or inaction-they should face penalties,” stated Samar Bahadur, a spokesperson for the Akhil Bharat Nepali Ekta Samaj.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a pupil organisation affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has additionally referred to as for an unbiased probe. “That is the second suicide in the identical hostel constructing involving a Nepalese pupil. The authorities can’t proceed to disregard these tragedies. We demand a full investigation and transparency from the college,” a spokesperson for ABVP stated in Bhubaneswar.
KIIT College has not issued a proper assertion on the demise.
The back-to-back incidents have sparked unrest among the many college’s worldwide pupil neighborhood. Teams of scholars reportedly started gathering late Thursday night time and early Friday morning close to the hostels, demanding higher grievance redressal mechanisms, psychological well being help, and a safer campus setting. There have been no studies of violence, however a heavy police presence stays deployed across the campus.
(With inputs from Dev Kumar)
