Oli steps in as Nepal pupil dies in Odisha, others asked to leave

A diplomatic crisis unfolded between India and Nepal after the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, asked Nepali students to vacate the campus following the suicide of a Nepal-origin student.

Matters reached such a stage that Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli took to social media platform X saying “Our Embassy in New Delhi has dispatched two officers to counsel Nepali students affected in Odisha.”

It all started when Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University in Odisha, reacting to the suicide by the girl-student, on Monday asked international students from Nepal to vacate the campus following overnight protests after a Nepal-origin engineering student committed suicide.

Third-year student Prakristi Lamsal was found dead in her hostel room on Sunday. KIIT confirmed in a statement that the student had committed suicide. On Sunday night, many Nepali students assembled and staged a protest, after which they claimed they were evicted from the campus.

In a notice on Monday KIIT said, “…the institute is hence closed sine die for all international students from Nepal and they are directed to vacate the university campus immediately today on 17th February.”

Later, Indian diplomats pressed the right levers and got the KIIT to withdraw the order, however, by then the damage had been done. The KIIT later made an appeal asking “Nepali students who have, or plan, to leave the campus to return and resume classes.”

Earlier that morning, visuals from the campus showed Nepali students leaving the campus with their luggage. Odisha Minister of Higher Education, Suryabanshi Suraj, stated, “All sine-die notices that the university issued for Nepali students were wrong. They have now been reversed after government intervention.”

Suraj added arrangements have also been made to ensure that the Nepali students have the option to either remain in their hostel or return home, based on their preference.

KIIT released a statement confirming the suicide, noting that it was suspected that Lamsal’s death may have been related to a love affair with another student. The institute assured that police had investigated the matter and apprehended the suspect. KIIT administration has worked to restore normalcy at the campus and resume academic activities.