Nepali student’s father slams KIIT over daughter's 'suicide'

The father of a Nepali student, whose body was found in her hostel on the KIIT campus in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday (February 18), accused the private engineering institute of ill-treating undergraduates from Nepal.

His comment came after the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) was charged with evicting Nepali students from their hostel amid tension following the death of Prakriti Lamsal, a third-year BTech student from Nepal at the institute.

Sunil Lamsal, the student’s distraught father, reached the Odisha capital on Tuesday morning as the post-mortem examination of his daughter's body will be conducted.

Also read: 50% decline in student suicides in Kota compared to last year: DM

A father laments

“I have lost my daughter. Many other children are studying here. It is known from the media that some students were driven out of their hostel. This is not right,” Lamsal said.

“This incident should not be repeated. These people go to Nepal and invite students to study here,” he said, referring to the KIIT. “The institute mistreated them.”

KIIT officials could not be reached for their comment.

Father’s faith in government

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.

Prakriti's body was recovered on Sunday evening from her hostel room.

Also read: Student suicide growth rate in India higher than overall trend, population growth: Report

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's cousin filed a complaint with the police in Bhubaneswar, alleging that his sister hanged herself in her hostel room on Sunday.

He claimed that a boy student at the institute had been blackmailing his sister, which, he believed, led to her suicide.