New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has set up a fact-finding committee to look into consecutive student suicides at KIIT-Bhubaneshwar, officials said on Friday.
The panel was constituted after a Nepalese student of the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha capital was found hanging from the ceiling fan of her hostel room.
The incident comes after the suicide of Prakriti Lamsal, another Nepalese student of the same institute on February 16.
“UGC has constituted a Fact-Finding Committee under the Chairmanship of Prof. Nageshwar Rao, Former VC, IGNOU to look into the students’ suicide cases at KIIT, Bhubaneswar and suggest measures to prevent such incidents in future,” UGC Secretary Manish Joshi was quoted by PTI as saying.
The four-member committee has been asked to submit the fact-finding report within 10 days.
Prof Shashikala Wanjari, Vice Chancellor of National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEP), and Prof. HCS Rathore, former Vice Chancellor of Central University of South Bihar, are the members of the panel.
Sunita Siwach, Joint Secretary of UGC, has been appointed as the coordinating officer of the fact-finding committee, sources said.
A first-year Computer Science BTech student, Prisha Shah was found in a hanging position in her hostel room inside KIIT University campus on Thursday evening, suggesting that she committed suicide. She was rushed to the nearby private medical college where the doctors declared her “brought dead”. Her body was later shifted to AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, for the postmortem, which will be held after the arrival of her family members from Birgunj area in Nepal.
The incident came barely two-and-a-half months after Prakriti Lamsal, another Nepalese student of the same institute, died by suicide on February 16 after allegedly being harassed by a fellow student.
Police, however, have ruled out any foul play in the latest case, and said the student is suspected to have died by suicide.
Meanwhile, KIIT, in a post on X, has urged everyone to refrain from spreading or believing unverified claims. “The matter is currently under police investigation, and KIIT is extending full support to the authorities. In sensitive situations, misinformation can lead to unnecessary distress. Please rely only on official updates from authorised sources,” it added.
