More than 500 Nepali students were forced to leave the campus of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha after tensions flared up following the alleged suicide of a female student from Nepal on Monday, triggering diplomatic concerns.
Prakriti Lamsal, a 20-year-old engineering student from Nepal, was found dead in her hostel room on Sunday evening.
The accused, Advik Srivastava (21), was detained from outside the Biju Patnaik International Airport on Sunday evening and has been booked under Section 108 of the BNS (abetment of suicide).
According to reports, Lamsal was being blackmailed. Additionally, an audio clip surfaced online, allegedly capturing a male voice verbally abusing and harassing her.
Late Sunday evening, students from Nepal blocked the road near the KIIT campus, alleging that the university authorities took no action when Lamsal reached out to the International Relations Office (IRO) at the university, flagging harassment by her batchmate.
As protests escalated on Monday, the university authorities issued a notice, announcing “sine die” for all international students from Nepal and directing them to vacate the campus immediately.
Over 500 Nepali students were asked to board buses and were dropped at various railway stations, from where they were told to head home.
Video footage reveals that Nepali students were forcibly escorted to railway stations to prevent them from participating in the investigation. Students alleged that their phones were checked and that those who resisted were beaten by guards and bouncers.
“Our Embassy in New Delhi has dispatched two officers to counsel Nepali students affected in Odisha. Additionally, arrangements have been made to ensure they have the option to either remain in their hostel or return home, based on their preference,” said Nepal Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli.
Nepal Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli’s concerns prompted the Odisha government to intervene and instruct KIIT to reverse its decision.
The Nepal embassy in India also issued a statement, assuring that the embassy had requested arrangements for students to stay in the dormitory while ensuring their safety in the educational institution.
“It was also requested to make the necessary arrangements for conducting the classes of Nepali students in the said educational institution,” the statement added.
Following this, the university issued a statement urging Nepali students to return and resume classes.
The university also opened a 24×7 control room to facilitate the return of Nepali students to the KIIT campus.
The Indian embassy in Nepal, in a press release, emphasized that “Nepali students studying in India form an important facet of the enduring people-to-people links between the two countries.”
“The Government of India will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure the well-being of Nepali students in India,” assured the embassy.
Meanwhile, a video of a faculty member making xenophobic remarks about Nepali students triggered backlash. She claimed that KIIT spends more on student meals than Nepal’s GDP.
“We are feeding 4,000 children for free. What is your country’s budget?” she appeared to say in the video.
The university apologized, stating that “the comments were made in the heat of the moment.”
They also announced that two security staff members were terminated, while two senior hostel officials and one senior administrative officer from the International Relations Office (IRO) were suspended.
 in Odisha after tensions flared up following the alleged suicide of a female student from Nepal on Monday, triggering diplomatic concerns.){kind=link}