Probe Nepal student’s death impartially: Deuba to Odisha Education Minister

Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba has on Wednesday requested Odisha Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj to make arrangements for impartial investigation into the death of a Nepalese student and take legal action against the culprit.

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During a telephone call, she also asked the Indian minister to ensure that classes resume for other Nepalese students in the university in his state in a safe environment, according to a statement from the secretariat of the Foreign Minister.

Prakriti Lamsal (20), a third-year B Tech (Computer Science) student at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha, allegedly died by suicide at her hostel room on February 16, leading to unrest on the campus.

Return to KIIT: CM to Nepalese pupils

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday urged Nepalese students of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) to return to the campus here and resume studies, assuring them that peace and normalcy will be restored soon. Majhi, who is currently in Rajasthan, spoke over the phone with officials from Nepal. “The CM also assured them that justice will be served in the case of the deceased student,” a CMO statement said.

During the conversation, Suryabanshi informed that the Odisha Government has taken the matter seriously and a high-level probe committee has been formed to provide justice to Lamsal and punish the culprit.

He also assured that arrangements have been made for the safety of Nepalese students in the hostel and for resumption of studies, the statement added.

There are around 1,000 Nepalese students studying in KIIT, Odisha.

Meanwhile, 95 Nepalese students allegedly expelled from KIIT University have returned home through the Birgunj border in Parsa district.

Republica daily quoted acting Chief District Officer of Parsa Nishan Raj Gautam as saying that a total of 76 male and 19 female students have reached Nepal via Birgunj border entry point.

Leaders and officials from both countries are constantly in touch with each other since the incident on Sunday.