Harassment led 20-year-old Nepalese student of KIIT to die by suicide, REVEALS Odisha Police

Tensions have been high at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar following the death of Prakriti Lamsal, a 20-year-old B.Tech computer science student from Nepal, who was found dead in her hostel room on Sunday evening. Police have arrested Advik Srivastava, a third-year mechanical engineering student at KIIT, in connection with the incident, and he has been remanded to judicial custody. He is accused of abetting Lamsal's suicide.

Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissioner Suresh Dev Datta Singh stated that investigations revealed evidence suggesting harassment of the victim by a fellow student, which may have led to her death.

“Yesterday evening, we received information about the incident of suicide by a female student of third-year Computer Science at KIIT University. On this information, a case was registered. There was an allegation that this girl, who belonged to Nepal, was harassed by a third-year mechanical engineering student at KIIT University. We investigated the matter, and we got prima facie evidence that there was some sort of harassment which could have prompted the girl to commit suicide, so we arrested the accused person; we examined him, and today, he has been forwarded to judicial custody,” Singh said.

“Yesterday, there was a sentimental, emotional outburst so both students belonging to Nepal, as well as India, joined together in protest against the university authorities, demanding justice. We deployed a police force at KIIT University...they were convinced by morning and now the situation is peaceful,” Singh added.

Lamsal's cousin filed a complaint alleging that she took her own life due to blackmail. Prior to her death, Prakriti Lamsal had allegedly reported the harassment to the university's International Relations Office, but students allege that no action was taken.

Meanwhile, KIIT registrar Jnyana Ranjan Mohanty claimed that Prakriti Lamsal's death was due to a strained relationship.

The incident sparked protests among students, with Nepali students blocking roads near the campus and demanding justice. KIIT has been closed sine die for all international students from Nepal, directing them to vacate the KIIT campus.

While the university stated that the decision was made to ensure the safety of the students, some students claimed they were forced to leave and were transported to railway stations.

KIIT refuted the allegations that Nepali students were compelled to vacate hostels and forcibly dropped at Cuttack railway station. Classes and examinations for international students have been temporarily suspended.

Police have seized Lamsal's mobile phone, which will be sent to a forensic science laboratory for analysis. The university administration claims that the situation on campus has returned to normal.