KIIT Row: Police hand over girl student’s body to family after autopsy; probe panel formed

NEW DELHI: Odisha Police on Tuesday handed over the body of the Nepali girl student to her father after post mortem at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, even as the incident triggered a statewide outcry with the issue being raised in the Assembly. Prakriti Lamsal (20), a third-year B Tech (computer science) student at city-based Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), allegedly died by suicide at her hostel room on Sunday afternoon, leading to unrest on the campus. Sunil Lamsal, the girl’s father, accompanied by his friends, arrived here and remained present during the post mortem of the body. Sunil said that they were planning to take the body to Nepal.

"Police have registered two cases, one in connection with the girl’s suicide by hanging following her cousin’s complaint and another by police on the contents of the social media video where the security personnel and staff of the private university were abusing and beating up the students who protested over the incident," Bhubaneswar DCP Pinak Mishra told PTI. Police have also arrested the two security guards, identified as Ramakanta Nayak (45) and Jogendra Behera (25), and registered a criminal case against them under Sections 126 (2) [wrongful restraint], 296 [obscene acts], 115 (2) [voluntarily causing hurt], and 3 (5) [joint criminal liability] of the BNS.

Silent protest at KIIT

In the footage, these security guards were seen assaulting the students when they were picketing and demanding justice over the girl’s death, officials claimed. Meanwhile, despite an apology from KIIT authorities, the students staged a "silent dharna" on the campus and demanded a personal apology from two women officers who allegedly insulted the Nepali students and other hostel inmates. Succumbing to the students’ demand, the two women officials, Janati Nath and Manjusha Pande, issued a video message in KIIT’s official X post and tendered an apology.

Expressing concern over the safety of international students at the institute, the girl’s father earlier in the day said, "They (KIIT) invited the students to join the institute and assured all safety and security. However, here things are different. I had sent my daughter for higher studies, but what happened here is not acceptable. I am hopeful of getting justice from the government." The girl’s father said this while responding to a question by reporters relating to some Nepali students being forcibly evicted from the hostel and dropped at a railway station without making arrangements for their return journey.

Odisha government forms committee

Meanwhile, the Odisha government took the matter seriously and constituted a three-member high-level fact-finding team headed by the Additional Chief Secretary (Home). The other team members are secretaries of higher education and women and child development departments. "The institution has been placed under notice, and appropriate legal and administrative action shall follow based on the findings of the high-level fact-finding committee," Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj told reporters, adding that the KIIT authorities had not informed the state government regarding the girl’s death and subsequent actions against Nepali students.

The minister said the reports of misconduct, including use of force against students by private individuals, are being investigated, and those responsible will be held accountable in accordance with the law. "The government of Odisha remains committed to ensuring the safety, dignity, and well-being of every student," the minister said, adding that the state administration will take necessary steps to ensure that justice is served swiftly and fairly. The minister added that the government has also asked the institute's authorities to bring back all Nepali students who were evicted from the institute. "Why were the Nepali students de-boarded at Cuttack railway station? Why did the institute's authorities not inform the government about the incident when it involved foreign students?" asked Suraj.

100 Nepali students remain

He claimed while nearly 100 Nepali students are on the campus, 800 left for their homes. Meanwhile, the issue was also raised in the state Assembly, where the members, cutting across party lines, expressed concern over the death of the girl and subsequent incidents where the students of the neighbouring country were evicted from the hostel. All the members admitted that the KIIT developments have brought a bad name to the state, and they should not be tolerated. While Congress demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter relating to the death of the girl and alleged torture of students, the BJP members demanded the arrest of KIIT founder Achyuta Samanta.

The BJD said the incident was an outcome of the worsening law and order situation in BJP-ruled Odisha. As the incident also sparked protests in Nepal, its Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli offered some relief to the distressed students. Two officers from the Nepal embassy in Delhi are likely to visit the institute, officials said. 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."