Oppn Stages Walkout In Odisha Assembly Dissatisfied With Minister’s Reply

Bhubaneswar: The opposition BJD and Congress on Friday staged a walkout in the Odisha Assembly during a debate on the KIIT University issue.

During a discussion on the adjournment motion over the matter, Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj informed that mid-semester exams of the university will be postponed. He added that the Odisha government will bear the travel expenses of the students returning to the KIIT campus and remedial classes will be conducted for the affected students.

However, members cutting across party lines expressed disappointment as the Minister did not respond to their request for a a judicial inquiry into the matter. Suraj said law will take its course and whoever is guilty will be punished.

The unrest in KIIT began after the alleged suicide of 20-year-old Prakriti Lamsal, a student from Nepal, on Sunday afternoon, as the university asked students from the Himalayan country to vacate the campus to prevent the situation from spiralling out of control.

As Nepal Prime Minister flagged the issue and dispatched two officials to Odisha to counsel the students, the Centre and the state government intervened. The KIIT authorities later tendered an apology and requested the Nepalese students to return to the campus. Three officials were suspended for alleged misconduct and two security guards removed from service. 

Meanwhile, the government opened a round-the-clock help desk, to facilitate the Nepalese students’ safe return.

Police have arrested 10 employees of KIIT for the crackdown on the students. A 3rd-year student of the university is currently in police remand after his arrest under abetment of suicide charges in connection with the death of Prakriti Lamsal (20), who was found hanging in her hostel room on February 16 evening.