Odisha CM Mohan Majhi Assures Justice, Urges Nepal Students To Return To KIIT

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday assured Nepali counsellors, who are in Odisha following the fiasco at KIIT in Bhubaneswar involving students from the Himalayan country, that justice will be served in the case of alleged death by suicide of 20-year-old engineering student Prakriti Lamsal.

The CM also urged Nepalese students of the institute to return to the campus here and resume studies, while assuring them that peace and normalcy will be restored soon.

Majhi, who is currently in Rajasthan, spoke over the phone with officials from Nepal, Sanjeeb Das Sharma and Navin Raj Adhikari, who held discussions with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling and Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj, along with Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja at the State Guest House here during the day on the evolving situation.

The post on CM’s official X handle further informed about conversation between Higher Education Minister and Foreign Minister of Nepal Dr Arzu Rana Deoba.

This came amid reports that the Nepal government was contemplating against issuing no objection certificates to students, who wish to study in Odisha, if the situation arising from the death of a student at a Bhubaneswar university is not resolved in a “justifiable and legal way”.

Earlier Nepal Embassy in India had tweeted that its ambassador Shankar P Sharma had a telephonic conversation with KIIT University founder Achyuta Samanta and also met his representatives at New Delhi. Samanta briefed Sharma about the actions taken by KIIT, including a public apology from the vice-chancellor and termination of staff, it added.

The institute, during a conversation with Deoba, also assured that it will bear the travel expenses of students who had reached Nepal and conduct re-examination for those who missed the tests.

Meanwhile, the victim’s father told mediapersons that he has full faith in the state government and its police to deliver justice.

CAMPUS UNREST

Notably, Prakriti’s death triggered massive protests on the campus on February 16 evening, leading to a controversy after the institution allegedly cracked down on the agitating students, demanding justice for her, and evicted them from the hostel without making any travel arrangements, prompting the Nepal’s Prime Minister to intervene.

On February 17, the KIIT declared sine die for Nepalese students and asked them to leave the campus immediately.

A day later, the university issued a apology, regretting the alleged misconduct of its employees during the protest. The institute also suspended two hostel officials and a senior administrative officer of International Relations Office (IRO) and ordered an inquiry against them.

Also Read: KIIT Issues Apology, Suspends 3 Employees For ‘Misconduct’ During Protest

Two women employees – Manjusha Pandey and Jayanti Nath – also tendered an apology for their ‘hurtful’ remarks after a video of the same went viral on social media.

Also, two security staff were removed from service for allegedly thrashing some of the Nepali students.

A 24×7 helpline (+91 7847064550 and +91 7855029322) has been set up by KIIT to provide support and guidance to the students. A dedicated control (+91 8114380770) room is open 24×7 at KIIT Campus 6 to facilitate the return of Nepali students to the campus.

GOVT FORMS COMMITTEE, POICE ARRESTS

As diplomatic interventions continued, the three-member fact finding committee headed by Home Department’s Additional Chief Secretary Satyabrata Sahu visited the KIIT campus on Wednesday. “As per the direction of the State Government, we have visited the campus, including the hostel and we will submit our report to government…We have also met the Nepal delegation…The state government is fully committed to take action as per law,” he told reporters.

Women and Child Development Department Secretary Shubha Sarma and Higher Education Secretary Aravind Agrawal are the other two members of the panel constituted by the government to probe the matter.

Police have already arrested a 3rd-year (Mechanical) student of the institute, accused of harassing Prakriti, leading to her tragic demise. He was nabbed from Bhubaneswar airport, while trying to board a plane on February 17. He is likely to be brought on 3-day remand for questioning, sources said.

On February 18, three senior officials and two security guards of KIIT University were also arrested for allegedly assaulting Nepali students during their protest in the aftermath of the 20-year-old BTech student’s alleged suicide. All five employees were granted bail by a local court in the evening.