February 22nd 2025.
In the city of Bhubaneswar, the Odisha government made a statement on Saturday regarding the recent unfortunate events at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT). A Nepalese student from the private engineering institute lost his life and there were reports of students from Nepal being physically attacked. The government ensured that those responsible for these incidents would not go unpunished.
The Congress party also took action by organizing a demonstration, demanding the immediate arrest of KIIT's founder, Achyuta Samanta. A large group of young activists gathered at the main gate of the institute, burning an effigy of Samanta. However, things turned chaotic when the protesters attempted to enter the KIIT campus and a scuffle broke out between them and the security personnel.
This demonstration came just a day after the Congress MLAs in the assembly called for a judicial inquiry into the death of the Nepalese student and the alleged attacks on other students from Nepal. The Higher Education Minister of Odisha, Suryabanshi Suraj, reassured the public that the government was taking the incidents at KIIT very seriously. He mentioned that a high-level committee was formed to investigate the matter and eight top officials of KIIT, including its founder, have already given their statements.
Suraj also stated that the police were conducting their own investigation and have already arrested 10 people, including security guards and bouncers, based on evidence from CCTV footage. In regards to the death of the female student, one person has been arrested for abetment to suicide and the police are looking into whether he had a role in harassing her. They have also sent an audio clip for a voice spectrograph test to determine its authenticity, and if proven true, the accused will be charged under the IT Act.
A senior Congress leader, Bijay Patnaik, held a press conference and raised concerns about the alleged racial discrimination and derogatory language used against Nepal at KIIT. He also questioned the silence of the University Grants Commission and the central government on these incidents. Patnaik suggested that the KIIT should be issued a show cause notice and a special cell should be set up at the governor's house to address complaints from foreign students.
He also brought up the fact that the founder of KIIT is a BJD MP and insinuated that he received protection from the previous government. Patnaik stated that this incident is a challenge for the new BJP government to prove that they are different from their predecessor. These incidents have brought a negative reputation to the state and may deter foreign students from studying in Odisha. Overall, the government and law enforcement are taking necessary actions to ensure justice is served and that such incidents do not occur again.
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