KATHMANDU, Feb 19: On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba reached out to Odisha’s Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj, urging that an unbiased investigation be conducted into the death of a Nepalese student and that legal actions be taken against the perpetrator.
During their phone conversation, she also emphasized the importance of ensuring a safe environment for the other Nepalese students at the university so that classes can resume. This information was released by the Foreign Minister’s secretariat.
Prakriti Lamsal, a 20-year-old third-year B.Tech (Computer Science) student at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha, reportedly died by suicide in her hostel room on February 16, causing unrest on campus.
Suryabanshi assured her that the Odisha government is treating the incident with utmost seriousness, having established a high-level committee to ensure justice for Lamsal and to hold the responsible individual accountable.
He also confirmed that measures have been set in place to secure the safety of Nepalese students living in the hostel and to facilitate the continuation of their studies, as stated in the report.
Currently, there are approximately 1,000 Nepalese students enrolled at KIIT in Odisha.
In a separate development, 95 Nepalese students who were allegedly expelled from KIIT University have returned to Nepal via the Birgunj border in Parsa district. According to Republica daily, acting Chief District Officer of Parsa, Nishan Raj Gautam, reported that 76 male and 19 female students arrived back in Nepal through the Birgunj entry point.
Since the incident occurred on Sunday, officials and leaders from both Nepal and India have been in continuous communication. (PTI)
