KIIT issue being resolved through diplomatic means: Nepal Foreign Min

Nepal Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba stated that the issue of the death of a Nepali student while studying in KIIT (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology), Odisha is being resolved through diplomatic means.

Deuba made the statement upon her return from the 8th Indian Ocean Conference in Muscat, Oman.

Deuba reiterated the statement she had made earlier about the telephonic conversation with Odisha’s Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj wherein she said she urged for a fair investigation into the student’s death and legal action against those responsible.

“We immediately initiated diplomatic efforts. While we demanded justice for the deceased and legal action against the guilty, we coordinated with relevant agencies to ensure the safety and academic environment for Nepali students,” Deuba said.

The minister also stressed the importance of ensuring a safe environment for Nepali students at KIIT, to which the Indian minister responded by assuring that Odisha authorities had taken the matter seriously.

“Following the incident, the university apologized and allowed students to return to the hostel, with action taken against the involved staff,” Deuba said.

Deuba also said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nepali Embassy in Delhi have constantly contacted the Odisha government and the university, coordinating necessary efforts.

On February 16, the third-year BTech student was found dead in her hostel room, following which Nepali students staged a protest claiming that she was harassed by her fellow student and the college didn’t act despite multiple complaints.

An accused student, identified by police as Advik Srivastava, was arrested on February 17 and sent to judicial custody on the same day, as per a press statement by Police Commissionerate, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack.

Following the death, students particularly of Nepali origin took to the street demanding arrest of the boy responsible for abusing of the girl leading to her suicide.

On December 17, more than 500 Nepali students enrolled in the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) were forced to leave the campus in Bhubaneswar. The private institution in the state of Odisha, announced sine-die for all Nepali students sending bus-loads of Nepali students at Cuttack Railway Station, 30km from the institute.

Later in the evening, the institution retracted its decision and called back the students.