Bhubaneswar, February 20: The Odisha Government’s high-level committee summoned KIIT founder Achyuta Samanta for his personal appearance before it on Friday in connection with the alleged suicide of a girl student from Nepal and subsequent action against other Nepalese pupils.
The Higher Education Department, in a letter to Samanta on Thursday, said, “You are requested to appear before the high-level committee on 21.02.2025 at 6.30 PM at tge State Guest House to adduce evidence with adequate documentary evidence before the committee on the term of reference as stated in the office order.”
The State Government has constituted the three-member committee, headed by Additional Chief Secretary (Home Department) Satyabrata Sahu to ascertain the circumstances leading to the suicide, alleged high-handed action by the institute authority, reasons for issuing notice to only a specific group of students and closing the institute sine die for them and other incidental matter that emerges during inquiry.
On Wednesday, the committee, also comprising the Secretaries of Higher Education Department and Women and Child Development (WCD) Department, visited the KIIT campus and held a discussion with some of the Nepalese students who were allegedly mistreated by the staffers of the premier private institute for staging a demonstration on the campus following the death of their colleague.
The unrest in Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) ensued after the news of an alleged suicide of 20-year-old Prakriti Lamsal, a student from Nepal, on Sunday afternoon, broke.
Other Nepalese students staged agitation and demanded justice for Prakriti.
Annoyed by the demonstration, the KIIT authorities declared the institute sine-die for the Nepalese students and issued suspension notices to about1,000 Nepalese students and asked them to leave the campus on Monday.
Meanwhile, Bhubaneswar police have obtained a three-day remand of a 21-year-old engineering student, who was arrested on charge of abetting the woman’s suicide.
He has been accused of blackmailing and verbally abusing her.
Following the intervention of the Centre and the State Government, the KIIT authorities had tendered an apology and requested the Nepalese students to return to the campus.
The State Government has also opened a round-the-clock help desk, to facilitate the Nepalese students’ safe return to the campus.
