Odisha govt panel begins probe into alleged mistreatment of Nepali students by KIIT University

The three-member high-level committee, constituted by the Odisha Government to inquire into the alleged mistreatment meted out to Nepali students by KIIT University in Bhubaneswar

A three-member high-level committee, constituted by the Odisha government to inquire into the alleged mistreatment meted out to Nepali students by KIIT University in Bhubaneswar, began their probe into the unfortunate incident on Wednesday.

The committee comprises the Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department, Principal Secretary, Women and Child Development and Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Higher Education Department. They paid a visit to the university and held discussions with various stakeholders on the matter.

Speaking to media persons at the university, Home Department Additional Chief Secretary Satyabrata Sahu said, “As per the instructions of the state government, we have come here and held discussions with various stakeholders. We are here to visit the places where the incidents have taken place. We will also hold discussions with the affected students. We will submit the report to the government in time.”

The police commissioner of Bhubaneswar-Cuttack twin city who was also present during the visit of the high-level committee told media persons that police have sought the permission of the court to take Advik Srivastava, the accused boyfriend of deceased Nepali student, Prakriti Lamsal, on remand for further investigation into the case.

“We have requested for remand and we will be getting three-day remand for the accused person. He will be interrogated in detail on the issue. We will strengthen the evidence with us through the information elicited during interrogation. We will try to corroborate the allegations of harassment through information fetched during interrogation. Justice will certainly be delivered in the case,” said Police Commissioner Dev Datta Singh.

He further said that the laptop and mobile of the deceased had also been seized and sent to the forensic science laboratory for examination.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi spoke with Nepali Counsellors Sanjeeb Das Sharma and Navin Raj Adhikari over the phone regarding the issue. He assured them that justice would be delivered in the case of the deceased KIIT student, Prakriti. He also assured that peace and normalcy would be restored on the KIIT campus.

The Chief Minister has also urged Nepali students to return to the campus and resume their studies. The Nepali delegation also held talks with Ministers Mukesh Mahaling and Suryabanshi Suraj, and Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja at the State Guest House here on Wednesday to ensure the restoration of normalcy at KIIT.

The Foreign Minister of Nepal Dr Arzu Rana Deuba spoke to the Higher Education Department Minister Suryabanshi Suraj over the phone regarding the matter. The Higher Education minister later said that the deceased female student is not only Nepal’s daughter but also the daughter of Odisha.

On the other hand, students of the private university and various student organisations continued their protest demanding justice for Prakriti who ended her life in her hostel room at the KIIT University, Bhubaneswar on Sunday due to continued harassment by her estranged boyfriend.

Police arrested the accused boyfriend on Monday based on a complaint lodged by the deceased Prakriti's cousin, Siddhant Sigdel.