February 20th 2025.
Bhubaneswar: The recent events at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology have caused a lot of unrest and concern. After the tragic death of a student from Nepal and the reported mistreatment of other Nepalese students, the founder of KIIT, Achyuta Samanta, released a video statement on the incident. In the video, he apologized to the parents of the Nepalese students and urged all those who had left the campus to come back.
The statement was released on KIIT's X platform, hours after Samanta was summoned by the Odisha government's high-level committee to appear before them the following day. Sitting among a group of students and two officials from the Nepal Embassy, Samanta expressed his deep sorrow over the unfortunate events that took place on February 16th. He also assured that appropriate action has been taken against those responsible for the incident.
Samanta then addressed the Nepalese students directly, urging them to return to their classes at KIIT. He assured them that there will be no harm in terms of academics, campus placement, or discipline. He also apologized to the parents of the Nepali students and expressed his desire to see them back on campus soon.
The Higher Education Department of Odisha had also sent a letter to Samanta, requesting him to appear before the high-level committee to provide evidence on the matter. The committee, headed by Additional Chief Secretary Satyabrata Sahu, is tasked with investigating the circumstances surrounding the student's suicide and the alleged mistreatment by the institute's staff.
Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj stated that the committee has the authority to summon anyone for the purpose of inquiry and is functioning within the bounds of the law. The state government has also been in touch with officials from the Nepal Embassy to keep them informed about the developments.
The unrest at KIIT began after the tragic death of a 20-year-old student from Nepal, Prakriti Lamsal, on Sunday afternoon. Other Nepali students staged protests demanding justice, but the institute issued suspension notices to about 1,000 Nepali students and asked them to leave the campus. The police have arrested a 21-year-old engineering student, who was accused of abetting the woman's suicide and has initiated an investigation.
Following the intervention of the Centre and the state government, the KIIT authorities have apologized and requested the Nepali students to return to campus. The state government has also set up a help desk to assist the students in their safe return. However, five more staff members of KIIT have been arrested for allegedly assaulting Nepali students while they were vacating the hostel.
With this, the total number of people arrested in connection with the incident has risen to 11, including the engineering student accused of abetting the suicide. The police have registered two cases - one for the alleged suicide of the Nepali student and the other for the attacks on Nepali students by the institute's staff.
The situation at KIIT is gradually returning to normal, and students have started attending classes. However, different student organizations have held demonstrations outside the campus, demanding action against those responsible for the tragic events.
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