In the case of alleged suicide of a Nepalese girl on campus, KIIT founder Achyuta Samanta has been asked to appear before the panel on February 21.
Odisha government’s high-level committee has summoned KIIT founder Achyuta Samanta for his personal appearance. In a letter issued by the Higher Education Department on Thursday, Samanta has been asked to appear before the panel at 6:30 pm tomorrow. He has been asked to adduce evidence with adequate documentary evidence before the committee on the term of reference as stated in the office order.
The three-member committee, headed by Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, Satyabrata Sahu, is probing the circumstances leading to the suicide of a 20-year-old Nepalese student. The panel is ascertaining the reasons for issuing notice to only a specific group of students and closing the institute sine die for them and other incidental matters that emerge during the inquiry.
Panel visited KIIT campus
The panel, also comprising the secretaries of the higher education department and Women and Child Development (WCD), visited the KIIT campus on Wednesday and held a discussion with some of the Nepalese students who were allegedly mistreated by the staffers of the private institute for staging a demonstration on the campus. Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj said, “The high-level committee is empowered to summon anyone for the purpose of inquiry into the matter. The committee is functioning on the basis of law. ” Noting that the state government is committed to protecting the interest of students, the minister said.
KIIT Student suicide
Alleged suicide of third-year BTech student at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) has rocked the entire campus. Other Nepalese students staged agitation and demanded justice. Students alleged that the KIIT authorities issued suspension notices to about 1,000 Nepalese students and asked them to leave the campus on Monday.
Meanwhile, Commissioner of Police S Dev Datta Singh said it has obtained a three-day remand of a 21-year-old engineering student, who was arrested on charge of abetting the woman’s suicide. “The accused has been brought on a three-day remand during which the police will further interrogate him and verify certain facts,” Singh said.
(PTI inputs)
