Bhubaneswar: The Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) witnessed massive protests on Monday after the alleged suicide of a student from Nepal inside a university hostel. Prakriti Lamsal, a third-year B.Tech student, was found dead in her room on Sunday evening.
The protests, led by both Indian and Nepali students, erupted over allegations of negligence and a lack of transparency by university authorities. Protesters claimed that the administration tried to suppress the incident and accused them of arbitrarily ordering Nepali students to vacate the campus.
Allegations of Harassment
Prakriti’s friends alleged that harassment by her ex-boyfriend, identified as Advik Srivastava, drove her to take the extreme step. Her brother also filed a police complaint, citing the alleged harassment. Srivastava is currently in police custody and has been charged with abetment of suicide under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Hundreds of students gathered on campus, chanting slogans like “We Want Justice.” They accused the university administration of downplaying the incident. Several videos shared on social media showed students confronting university officials. In one video, officials were seen shouting at students, with one of them allegedly stating, “We are feeding and teaching over 40,000 students for free,” while another claimed, “That is more than your country’s budget.” India Today has not independently verified the footage.
University’s Response and Eviction Orders
KIIT released a statement confirming the suicide and suggested that a personal relationship issue may have been the reason. “A Nepali student studying in the third year of B.Tech committed suicide in the hostel yesterday. It is suspected that the student was in a love affair with another student at KIIT. The student may have committed suicide due to some reason related to that,” the statement read.
Amid rising tensions, the university administration ordered all Nepali students to vacate the campus immediately. However, students questioned this sudden directive. “The university authorities are forcibly evicting us. We have been raising concerns about campus indiscipline for a month, but no one took action. How can we arrange travel to Nepal in a single day?” a student told India Today.
On Monday, many Nepali students were transported to Cuttack Railway Station in two buses. “We were told to vacate our hostel rooms and were dropped at the station,” said a student. Meanwhile, students from other states alleged that security guards were preventing them from leaving their hostels.
Police Investigation Underway
Police officials stated that tensions in Prakriti’s relationship with her boyfriend could have led to her suicide. “The student was in a relationship with a boy from the same university, and she may have taken this step due to issues in their relationship. Her roommate mentioned that she had an argument with her boyfriend in the morning, which may have been a triggering factor,” a senior officer said.
Authorities have increased security on campus to prevent further unrest. The case remains under investigation, and protests continue as students demand justice and accountability from the university administration.
