KIIT University apologised for the incident and said two security officials were also suspended, and a control room had been set up to facilitate the return of the Nepali students.
Amid row over suthe icide of a Nepali girl student, the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar said it suspended three staffers, including two hostel staffers, for allegedly misbehaving with Nepali students during protests over the death of a 20-year-old student from Nepal.
The private university apologised for the incident and said two security officials were also suspended, and a control room had been set up to facilitate the return of the Nepali students.
The development comes after a third-year B Tech student was found dead in her hostel room on Sunday. The suicide case triggered massive protests by the over 500 Nepali students on the campus. The case escalated further when the college authorities attempted to forcibly evict some students from the campus, leading to diplomatic intervention.
Earlier in the day, the father of the deceased alleged that she was being ‘harassed and emotionally blackmailed,’ which led to her allegedly dying by suicide.
“We just know that an investigation is being done. The post-mortem report will come soon. We have the information that she was harassed and emotionally blackmailed due to which she committed suicide,” the father, Sunil Lamsal told ANI.
He further informed that he had a conversation with the university officials but the officials did not reveal any new information.
“Yesterday, we had a conversation with the University officials. They did not say anything, but the police and college administration are cooperating,” the father said.
He said that the family had got to know about the alleged suicide from their son (the girl’s brother) on February 16, and also alleged that the accused which has been arrested is ‘the reason behind this.’
“Her brother is also studying here, and he informed us about the incident the day before yesterday. One person has been arrested, and I think he is the reason behind all of this. Her phone, laptop and diary have been given to the forensic department. Police administration and the Govt are helping us,” he added.
The father also expressed his displeasure over hearing that some students have been asked to leave from the campus, saying, “I heard that the students are being asked to leave, this is not right. We demand justice and nothing else.”
Following the incidents, the student wing of the Nepali Congress party staged a protest in Kathmandu, demanding justice for the Nepali student.
The KIIT university had issued a notice on February 17, instructing Nepali students to immediately vacate the campus after the body of the third year B.Tech student was found dead in the university hostel. The notice read that the college was “closed sine die for all international students from Nepal”. However, the same day, the institute appealed to the students to return to campus and resume their academic activities.
