Odisha’s KIIT Blunder Has Cost A Diplomatic Storm Between India And Nepal. A Young Life Taken And The ‘Hustle’ To Hush. All Trust Lost?

A university fest meant to celebrate youth and vibrancy took a dark turn at Odisha’s Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) when the lifeless body of 20-year-old Nepali student Prakriti Lamsal was discovered in her hostel room. What should have been an isolated tragedy soon escalated into a full-blown diplomatic crisis between India and Nepal, as allegations of negligence, institutional apathy, and administrative high-handedness surfaced.

Now, nearly 1,000 Nepalese students have been suspended and forcibly evicted, adding fuel to an already raging fire of distrust.

A Death, A Protest, and A Diplomatic Quake

Prakriti, a third-year Computer Science student, was found hanging in her hostel room on Sunday afternoon. The initial police reports ruled it a suicide, but the circumstances surrounding her death have raised serious concerns.

Nepalese students at KIIT allege that their friend had repeatedly sought help from the administration regarding harassment and blackmail by her former boyfriend, Advik Shrivastava, a 21-year-old Mechanical Engineering student at the same institution. But her cries for help fell on deaf ears.

When protests erupted demanding justice, the university administration responded not with empathy, but with expulsion notices. The swift eviction of nearly 1,000 Nepalese students sent a chilling message—not of accountability, but of silencing dissent.

The Audio That Shook the Campus

Among the most damning pieces of evidence to emerge is a disturbing audio clip in which a man—allegedly Advik—can be heard subjecting a woman, presumed to be Prakriti, to relentless verbal abuse. The man forces her to degrade herself, calling her slurs, while she sobs in distress.

This clip, which has since gone viral, raises troubling questions – If such harassment was happening openly, why did no one step in? Why did the administration fail to act before it was too late? And now that a life has been lost, why is the university expelling students instead of answering their legitimate concerns?

A Father’s Anguish, A Nation’s Betrayal

Prakriti’s father, Sunil Lamsal, voiced the anguish of every parent who sends their child abroad with the expectation of safety and education. “I had sent my daughter for higher studies, trusting that she would be safe. What happened here is unacceptable,” he said.

His daughter’s body was taken for a post-mortem at AIIMS Bhubaneswar before being handed over to the family. It will now make the heartbreaking journey back to Nepal—one that no parent should ever have to endure.

Advik Shrivastava: Arrested, But Is That Enough?

The alleged perpetrator, Advik Shrivastava, was arrested on Monday from Bhubaneswar’s airport and charged with abetment of suicide. But does this single arrest rectify the systemic failures that led to Prakriti’s death?

If her complaints had been taken seriously, would she still be alive today? If the administration had acted swiftly, could this crisis have been averted? And most critically—why were the students demanding justice treated as the problem instead of the actual problem itself?

The turmoil at Odisha’s Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) has taken a disturbing turn. Instead of engaging in dialogue with protesting Nepali students, the administration responded with force, escalating an already tense situation into a full-blown crisis.

A Brutal Crackdown Caught on Camera

When Nepalese students raised their voices against the alleged mishandling of Prakriti Lamsal’s death, they were met with hostility rather than answers. Security personnel, along with senior university officials, reportedly manhandled students, using force to suppress the protests.

Videos that quickly went viral on social media captured disturbing scenes of students being physically assaulted and verbally abused. Shockingly, two senior university officials were even caught on camera making derogatory remarks about Nepal, dismissing the country’s GDP as insignificant compared to KIIT’s budget. This inflammatory statement has further fueled resentment among students and Nepalese authorities alike.

A Midnight Eviction. A Shocking University Directive

Despite the exams being just days away, the university took an unprecedented step. A statement issued on February 17, 2025, declared an immediate and indefinite shutdown for international students from Nepal, effectively expelling them overnight.

The students, blindsided and unprepared, were herded into university buses and dropped off at Cuttack railway station, left to fend for themselves. “They (KIIT) didn’t say anything, they just asked us to leave,” recalled a distressed Nepali student.

Odisha Government Steps In

Following the outcry, the Odisha government has taken note of KIIT’s actions. On Tuesday, a three-member fact-finding committee was formed to investigate both the circumstances of Prakriti’s death and the university’s response to student protests. The committee, led by the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) and members from the Higher Education and Women and Child Development departments, will look into the allegations of negligence, abuse, and forced evictions.

State Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj admitted that the KIIT administration failed to inform the government about the incident or the forced removal of foreign students. “The institution has been placed under notice, and appropriate legal and administrative action shall follow based on the findings of the fact-finding committee,” he stated.

He further questioned the rationale behind dropping students at Cuttack railway station with no prior warning and why the state government was kept in the dark about such a serious escalation. While around 100 Nepali students remain on campus, nearly 800 others have been forced to leave for Nepal, deepening the divide between KIIT and its international student community.

Arrests and Legal Action

Including Advik, the Odisha Police have made six arrests in connection with both the student’s death and the violence against protesters.

Among those detained are three senior university officials-Director General (HR) Sibananda Mishra, Director (Administration) Pratap Kumar Chamupaty, and Director of Hostels Sudhir Kumar Rath. Two security guards, Jogendra Behera and Ramakanta Nayak, were also arrested for their role in the violent crackdown.

Two separate cases have been filed. The first concerns the suicide and was registered based on a complaint from Prakriti’s cousin. The second was initiated by the police, following viral videos of security personnel assaulting students.

Apologies and Diplomatic Fallout

One KIIT faculty member, Manjusha Pandey, was heard claiming in the viral videos that KIIT “feeds and educates over 40,000 students for free,” an amount she suggested was equivalent to Nepal’s national budget. Another staff member, Jayanti Nath, was recorded shouting similar statements.

Both Ms Pandey and Ms Nath later issued public apologies. “My statements were made in the heat of the moment,” Ms Pandey said in a video message. “If my words hurt the sentiments of any Nepali students or people of Nepal, I sincerely apologise.”

KIIT also issued an apology and removed two of its officials from service, though it did not name them. The institute urged Nepali students to return to their hostels and resume their studies.

The Nepalese government, however, has not taken the issue lightly. In a strongly worded statement, it warned that it might suspend issuing No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for students seeking admission to universities in Odisha if the matter was not resolved in a “justifiable and legal way.”

Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli personally intervened, stating that his government was handling the matter through diplomatic channels. “Our Embassy in New Delhi has dispatched officers to counsel affected students,” he announced.

The Nepalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the incident “unimaginable” and assured that it was in continuous contact with the Indian government and KIIT authorities. The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu also pledged to ensure the safety of Nepali students in India.

Political Fallout In Odisha

Nevertheless, the controversy quickly turned into a political flashpoint in Odisha.

The Congress party has demanded a judicial inquiry, while the ruling BJP – which came to power in Odisha for the first time in history after their shock win over the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD in the Assembly elections last year – has called for the arrest of KIIT founder Achyuta Samanta. The BJD, in turn, has blamed the incident on deteriorating law and order under the BJP-led state government.

The issue was also raised in the Odisha Assembly, with MLAs across party lines condemning the incident. “The developments at KIIT have brought a bad name to the state, and this cannot be tolerated,” a Congress MLA said during the debate.

The Last Bit, A Crisis That Won’t Be Forgotten Soon

The events at KIIT are more than just an internal university issue. They have not only sparked outrage but also raised questions about institutional accountability and the treatment of foreign students in Indian universities. The decision to forcibly evict students rather than address their grievances reflects poorly on an institution that claims to be a global educational hub.

The expulsion of Nepalese students has drawn strong reactions, not just from those directly affected, but also from Nepalese authorities. This isn’t just about a university failing its students—it’s about how institutional negligence can spill over into diplomatic relations.

Will KIIT take responsibility, or will it continue to sweep this tragedy under the rug? More importantly, how many more young lives need to be lost before universities learn that their primary duty isn’t just education, but also protection?