Why Nepali student's suicide at KIIT forced Nepal PM's intervention
What's the story
The alleged suicide of a 20-year-old Nepalese BTech student at Bhubaneswar's Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) has triggered a diplomatic row.
The student reportedly committed suicide over constant harassment on campus, following which a fellow student from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh was arrested.
After Prakriti Lamsal's death, at least 500 Nepali students staged a protest at the KIIT campus, after which they claim they were evicted.
Campus unrest
Protests and eviction of Nepali students follow alleged suicide
The students blocked the road near KIIT, stating that administrators did nothing when Lamsal approached the institute's International Relations Office (IRO) to complain about the harassment she was facing.
As the protest intensified, KIIT allegedly shut its doors "sine die" for international students from Nepal and asked them to vacate immediately.
They were loaded into two buses and dropped off at Cuttack Railway Station on Tuesday.
Government criticism
Odisha government criticizes KIIT's eviction decision
In a video, a university official is seen boasting that they are feeding "40,000 students for free," which is more than "the budget" of Nepal, according to ThePrint.
"We went to the International Office and sat overnight on a dharna, but we were sent back. We were finally asked to pack up and leave within an hour. We don't know how we will go. We did not have food," Anil Prasad Yadav, a student from Nepal told ANI.
Government response
Odisha government instructs KIIT to readmit Nepali students
However, later on, the institute urged all Nepali students to "return to the campus and resume classes."
"The KIIT administration has taken all-out efforts to restore normalcy in the campus and hostels to resume the academic activities," it declared.
The turnabout came after Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli intervened, expressing concern over the "forced eviction" of Nepali students from KIIT, and seeking India's help to resolve the issue.
Diplomatic assurances
Indian Embassy in Nepal assures thorough investigation
Responding to PM Oli's intervention, the Odisha government has ordered KIIT to allow Nepali students back on campus.
The university confirmed that "all-out efforts have been made to restore normalcy in the campus and hostels to resume academic activities."
Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Nepal has promised a comprehensive investigation into the incident.
"Nepali students studying in India form an important facet of the enduring people-to-people links between the two countries," read an embassy statement.
Incident
What happened to the student
Lamsal was pursuing her BTech in computer science when she died.
Following her death, multiple social media messages surfaced alleging that she was being harassed by her former boyfriend.
Her cousin even filed a police report saying that she was blackmailed by a male university student.
Since the incident, police have detained a third-year student in connection with the suicide.
According to the FIR, the accused was blackmailing Lamsal, causing her to take the extreme step.