Nepali student at Bhubaneswar's KIIT found dead in hostel room; students accuse varsity of cover-up, mishandling
PTC Web Desk: The Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Bhubaneswar, Odisha, witnessed large-scale protests on Monday following the suspected suicide of Prakriti Lamsal, a third-year B.Tech student from Nepal, inside her hostel room on Sunday evening.
The demonstrators, including several Nepali students, accused the university of mishandling the situation and alleged a cover-up. They claimed that Nepali students were being forcibly asked to leave the campus, sparking demands for a transparent investigation.
Friends of Prakriti alleged that she was driven to suicide due to harassment by her former boyfriend, Advik Srivastava. Her brother lodged a police complaint, leading to Advik's arrest under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for abetment of suicide.
Justice for a Nepali student, who took her own life after relentless harassment from her ex-boyfriend. Now, KIIT University may try to suppress the truth. We must not stay silent!
Speak up. Next time, it could be your friend or sister.@RONBupdates#kiituniversity#justice pic.twitter.com/zqM2asVCYs — Bibek Parajuli (@synapseforge) February 16, 2025
Hundreds of students rallied on campus, chanting "We Want Justice" and accusing the administration of downplaying the incident. Video clips circulating on social media appeared to show heated exchanges between students and university officials.
KIIT issued a statement confirming the student's death and suggested that relationship issues might have contributed to the incident. The administration also announced the closure of the campus to all international students from Nepal, instructing them to vacate the premises.
a nepali student (Prakriti Lamsal) took her own life after being constantly harassed by her ex boyfriend (Advik Shrivastava) at KIIT University, India.
This is how the university authority is treating Nepali students after they demanded a proper investigation. pic.twitter.com/WkI03XRDhp — devin (@realGodfr) February 17, 2025
The decision was met with resistance, as students argued they were given little time to arrange travel back to Nepal. Meanwhile, increased police presence on campus aimed to maintain order as tensions escalated.
- With inputs from agencies
