19 Feb 2025, Kathmandu/Bhubaneswar:
The Nepal government has strongly reacted to the suspicious death of Prakriti Lamsal, a 20-year-old Nepali student at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha. Nepal’s Ministry of Education has stated that it may suspend issuing No Objection Certificates (NOC) for students aspiring to study in Odisha-based universities.
Lamsal was a 3rd year BTech student when the alleged suicide took place on February 16. Reports suggest she was assaulted by her batchmate and ex-boyfriend, which was the cause of her death. The police have also taken her ex-boyfriend Advik Srivastava under custody. The incident turned violent and most of the students in the university organized a protest against this event.
Videos of the protests have gone viral, with allegations claiming that KIIT staff and security behaved inappropriately with students in the protests. To deal with this, the unrest of KIIT has suspended the director of the girls’ hostel and a senior faculty linked to the incident. The Odisha Police recently handed over Lamsal’s body to her father after a post-mortem at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
The death of Prakriti has led to many questions in the political field and Nepal even brought the issue in the Parliaments. Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has dispatched two embassy officials to Odisha to assist affected students, stating that those wishing to leave the campus may do so. Foreign Minister Arju Rana Deuba confirmed that Nepal is in diplomatic talks with India regarding the safety of its students.
The Indian government has assured Nepal of a thorough investigation and necessary measures for student security. Meanwhile, a help desk has been set up to assist Nepali students at KIIT. The situation remains tense as both governments work toward a resolution.
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