India appeals for calm after KIIT suicide sparks protests by Nepalis
KIIT authorities allegedly evicted several Nepali students from the hostel and dropped them at Cuttack station without making arrangements for their travel
India has promised to ensure the well-being of all Nepali citizens studying in India after the suicide of a Nepali student in a private Odisha institute sparked angry protests outside the Indian mission in Kathmandu.
“Nepali students studying in India form an important facet of the enduring people-to-people links between the two countries,” the Indian embassy in Nepal said in a statement.
“The government of India will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure the well-being of the Nepali students in India,” it added.
Nepalis urged to return
The mission also urged Nepali students to return to the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar.
The developments follow the suicide of Prakriti Lamsal, a third-year BTech student at KIIT, on Sunday (February 16).
The incident triggered protests on the campus where around 1,000 Nepalis study. Students shouted slogans, blocked roads and pushed through the gates of buildings.
Also read: Nepali student’s father slams KIIT over daughter's 'suicide'
Protests by Nepalis
Some Nepali students also staged a vocal demonstration in front of the Indian embassy in Kathmandu with placards demanding a probe into the incident.
The embassy said that KIIT had appealed to the Nepali students to “return to the campus, resume their classes, and stay in the hostels”.
KIIT evicts students
This happened after the KIIT authorities allegedly evicted several Nepali students from the hostel and dropped them at the Cuttack railway station without making arrangements for their travel.
The institute later claimed that it had tried its best to defuse the situation but the students remained defiant.
Policemen have been deployed on the campus. The police have sealed Lamsal’s room and kept her body in the mortuary until her parents arrive.
Girl’s father flays NIIT
The girl’s distraught father, Sunil Lamsal, hit out at the educational institution after reaching the Odisha capital.
“I have lost my daughter. Many other (Nepali) children are studying (in KIIT). It is known from the media that some students were driven out of their hostel. This is not right,” he said.
“This incident should not be repeated. These people go to Nepal and invite students to study here. The institute mistreated them.”
Also read: Nepal PM Oli steps in after KIIT students allege they were evicted from campus
Faith in police
Lamsal, however, reposed faith in the Odisha government and the police to get justice over the death of her daughter.
“I sent my daughter (to Bhubaneswar) for higher studies. We hope the government will ensure justice. We have faith in the government and the police administration. We hope to get justice,” he said.
Odisha Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj said the government had told the university to bring back the Nepali students to Bhubaneswar by special buses.
Nepal PM speaks
KIIT has said it will take care of the academic losses of students from Nepal. It has set up a control room to assist the Nepali students coming back to the university.
In Kathmandu, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said two officers had been sent to Odisha to counsel the students.
He said arrangements had been made to offer them the option of staying in the hostel or returning home.
KIIT blames love affair
The institute said: “It is suspected the girl was having an affair with another student at KIIT, and she may have committed suicide for some reason.”
The incident gained attention after the deceased girl’s cousin filed a complaint with the police in Bhubaneswar, saying she hanged herself in her hostel room on Sunday.
He claimed that a boy student at the institute had been blackmailing his cousin, which, he believed, led to her suicide.
(Suicides can be prevented. For help please call Suicide Prevention Helplines: Neha Suicide Prevention Centre – 044-24640050; Aasara helpline for suicide prevention, emotional support & trauma help — +91-9820466726; Kiran, Mental health rehabilitation — 1800-599-0019, Disha 0471- 2552056, Maithri 0484 2540530, and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.)