The Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) located in Bhubaneswar announced the suspension of three officials, including two members of the hostel staff, for reportedly misbehaving with several Nepali students and removing them from the campus amid protests concerning the death of a 20-year-old student from Nepal.
In response to the incident that shook the institution on Monday, KIIT issued an apology, announced the dismissal of two security personnel, and established a control room to assist in the return of the Nepali students.
In a statement on Tuesday, the institute said, “KIIT authorities and the entire staff deeply regret the incident that occurred on February 16. Two security staff were terminated immediately. Two senior hostel officials and one senior administrative officer of the International Relations Office (IRO) were suspended.”
Prakriti Lamsal, a third-year BTech student, was discovered dead in her hostel room on Sunday evening, sparking protests from more than 500 Nepali students on campus.
The situation intensified when the college officials tried to forcibly remove certain students from the campus, resulting in diplomatic involvement.
Lamsal’s acquaintances claimed that harassment from her former partner, named Advik Srivastava, compelled her to make the drastic decision. Advik is currently in police custody and faces charges of aiding suicide under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The private engineering institute also expressed regret for the thoughtless comments made by certain officials during the tensions, videos of which have circulated widely on social media.
A video surfaced featuring an official supposedly likening KIIT’s expenditures on students to Nepal’s budget, igniting public anger.
