2 officers of Nepal embassy likely to visit Odisha institute on Tuesday over student's death

NEW DELHI: Two officers from the Nepal embassy in Delhi are likely to visit a private engineering institute in Odisha's Bhubaneswar after a student from the neighbouring country was found dead in her hostel on the campus, officials said on Tuesday. The officers are also expected to meet a group of students from the Himalayan kingdom, who were allegedly evicted from their hostel, amid tension on the institute campus, they said.

The deceased, identified as Prakriti Lamsal, was a third-year B Tech student studying at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), the institute's registrar said. As the situation escalated on the campus, KIIT authorities allegedly evicted several Nepali students from the hostel and dropped them at Cuttack railway station without making any arrangements for their travel.

Nepal PM addresses tragedy

Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli offered some relief to the distressed students. On Monday, Oli posted on Facebook in Nepali, "It has come to our attention through media and social media that a Nepali student has died in a hostel of KIIT University in Odisha and that Nepali students have been forcibly evicted. The government is working on this matter through diplomatic channels and is in contact with the relevant authorities."

Allegations of blackmail surface

In a post on X later in the day, Oli said, "Our Embassy in New Delhi has dispatched two officers to counsel Nepali students affected in Odisha. Additionally, arrangements have been made to ensure they have the option to either remain in their hostel or return home, based on their preference." The incident gained attention after the deceased's cousin filed a complaint at Infocity Police Station in Bhubaneswar, alleging that his sister hanged herself in her hostel room on Sunday. He claimed that a boy student at the university had been blackmailing his sister, which, he believed, led to her suicide. "It is suspected that the girl was having an affair with another student at KIIT, and she may have committed suicide for some reason," the institute said.