Bhubaneswar: The authorities of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday issued a Letter of Apology, regretting the alleged misbehaviour of its employees during protests on the campus following the alleged death by suicide of a 3rd-year BTech student from Nepal.
The institute has suspended two hostel officials and a senior administrative officer of International Relations Office (IRO) and ordered an inquiry against them.
“We are regretful of the way some of us behaved with the agitating students. We love our students and have never done any disservice to them. The comments made by two of our officers are extremely irresponsible. Although the comments are made in their personal capacity on the spur of the moment, we do not support their action. We have removed them from service. They too have apologised for their behaviour. We too apologise for all that has happened and hereby tender our love and affection to all the students and people of Nepal. We love them as much as we love the people of India and the people of the world. Additionally, we are again appealing to our Nepali students to join the regular academics with immediate effect,” KIIT Vice-Chancellor Saranjit Singh, stated in an apology letter posted on the college’s X account.
The college also mentioned that it has encouraged students to return to campus and has set up a 24/7 control room to assist them. “The staff have been actively persuading students to return to the campus as soon as possible. For our staff, we recognise that certain comments were made in the heat of the moment, and we apologise for any distress caused. We prioritise the safety and well-being of our students above all,” it added.
The institute also shared apologies by two of its official on social media for their ‘hurtful’ remarks while handling the student protest on February 16. Video of staff’s rant against Nepal had also gone viral on social media.
“I want to take a moment to apologise for my recent remarks regarding Nepal while handling a student protest that escalated beyond control. My intention was never to offend or demean anyone and I deeply regret if my words caused intended hurt to the sentiments of anyone. I want to emphasise that my words do not reflect the views of the University or any of its authorities. However, it is pertinent to convey that my words were a consequence of being directly instigated by statements made during the protest where my country and my institution were called ‘corrupt’ and ‘poor’. In that heated exchange, my reply was meant to defend against those remarks, not to demean Nepal or its people in any way,” Jayanti Nath, Additional Director, Girls’ Hostel & Student Affairs Member-ARC at KIIT, said in a video statement.
The KIIT has also terminated two security staff, who allegedly thrashed some of the agitating students.
This came after the Odisha government took a strong note of the “physical assault and racial behaviour” by the staff of the university against students from Nepal, protesting against the alleged suicide.
THE CASE SO FAR…
Prakriti Lamsal (20) was found dead in her hostel room on February 16 evening. The incident triggered massive protests on campus. Following which, KIIT authorities allegedly evicted several Nepali students from the hostel and dropped them at Cuttack railway station without making any travel arrangements.
The Nepal government then had to intervene. “It has come to our attention through media and social media that a Nepali student has died in a hostel of KIIT University in Odisha and that Nepali students have been forcibly evicted. The government is working on this matter through diplomatic channels and is in contact with the relevant authorities,” Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli posted on Facebook.
He later informed about two officers being dispatched from its Embassy in New Delhi to counsel Nepali students affected in Odisha. “Additionally, arrangements have been made to ensure they have the option to either remain in their hostel or return home, based on their preference,” he added.
Later last evening, the KIIT issued a statement, appealing to them to return and resume the classes. “The KIIT administration has taken all-out efforts to restore normalcy in the campus and hostels to resume the academic activities,” KIIT-DU Registrar JR Mohanty said in a video statement.
Meanwhile, police have arrested the two security guards, identified as Ramakanta Nayak (45) and Jogendra Behera (25), and registered a criminal case against them under Sections 126 (2) [wrongful restraint], 296 [obscene acts], 115 (2) [voluntarily causing hurt], and 3 (5) [joint criminal liability] of the BNS.
A third-year BTech (Mechanical) student, Advik Srivastava (21) from Lucknow, has also been arrested under Section 108 of the BNS (abetment of suicide) on the basis of a complaint lodged by the cousin of the deceased at Infocity police station here, alleging that his sister was blackmailed by a fellow student, which he believes led to her suicide.
The father of the deceased, Sunil Lamsal, also told ANI that he believes his daughter was “harassed and emotionally blackmailed due to which she committed suicide.”
CONGRESS DEMANDS JUDICIAL PROBE
The incident rocked the Odisha Assembly on Tuesday as legislators cutting across party lines condemned the alleged mistreatment of students from the Himalayan country by the authorities of the private institute.
Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, BJD member P K Deb who said the girl’s suicide and subsequent development brought shame to the state. He also attributed it to the “worsening law and order situation” under the BJP rule in the state.
Senior Congress member Taraprasad Bahinipati demanded a judicial probe into the incident. “It hurts when we find that the students from Nepal were harassed in Odisha. Our state has a long-standing relationship with Nepal. This incident has strained Odisha’s relationship with Nepal,” he added, while mentioning that Lord Jagannath’s Kasturi (musk) comes from the neighbouring country.
The Congress MLAs also threatened a dharna in the assembly over the demand.
Several other BJP MLAs also came down heavily on the institute over the Nepali student’s death.
