159 KIIT students have returned to Nepal so far: Official

KATHMANDU: Days after a Nepalese female student allegedly died by suicide at an Odisha university 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 of 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. 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.

KIIT student suicide

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.