Second Case Of Nepal Student Found Dead In A Row In Odisha’s KIIT

A Nepalese student studying at KIIT University in Bhubaneswar was found dead in her hostel room on Thursday evening. This is the second death of a Nepalese student at the university in the last three months. The student was in her first year of B.Tech (Computer Science) and was from Birgunj, a city in Nepal near Kathmandu. Her body was found hanging from a ceiling fan in her room in the girls’ hostel.

Police and university officials were informed around 8 PM. A forensic team also came to the hostel to check the scene. The police said it looks like a suicide, but the exact cause will be confirmed after the post-mortem report. Police Commissioner Suresh Dev Datta Singh said they are doing a full investigation. The student’s family has been informed, and her body has been sent to AIIMS for examination.

Security has been increased at the university. The incident has raised serious concerns about the safety and well-being of foreign students, especially those from Nepal.

Second Incident 

This is the second time in less than 90 days that a student from Nepal has died in similar conditions at KIIT University. On February 16, another Nepalese student, Prakriti Lamsal, who was in her third year of B.Tech, was also found dead in her hostel room. Her death caused major protests from the Nepalese students and brought heavy criticism against the university. KIIT is run by former MP and BJD leader Achyuta Samanta.

It was later found that Prakriti had complained to the university’s International Relations Office (IRO) that a fellow student was sexually harassing her. But the university did not take quick action. Because of this delay, many students and human rights groups got angry. The National Human Rights Commission of India called the university’s failure to act “gross negligence.” The accused student was arrested one day after Prakriti’s death.

Student Protests 

Nepalese student groups and community organisations in India are calling the recent deaths at KIIT University a “disturbing pattern” and are blaming the university for not taking care of students properly. Samar Bahadur, a spokesperson for the Akhil Bharat Nepali Ekta Samaj, said, “This is not just one case. Two Nepalese girls have died in the same hostel in three months. There must be a fair and fast investigation. If someone is at fault, they should be punished.”

Another student group, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which is linked to the RSS, also demanded an independent investigation. Their spokesperson said, “This is the second suicide of a Nepalese student in the same hostel. The university cannot ignore these incidents anymore. We want full transparency.”

So far, KIIT University has not made any official statement about the latest death. The two back-to-back deaths have upset the international students at the university. On Thursday night and Friday morning, many students gathered near the hostels to protest peacefully. They are demanding better support for student complaints, more mental health care, and a safer campus. There has been no violence, but police have been deployed in large numbers around the campus to keep things calm.

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