High-Level Probe into Student's Tragic Death at KIIT

Senior KIIT officials were summoned by the Odisha government's high-level committee to investigate the alleged suicide of a 20-year-old Nepalese student, Prakriti Lamsal. The inquiry seeks to establish the circumstances of her death and address concerns raised by other Nepalese students.

Senior officials from Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) were summoned this Thursday by the Odisha government's high-level committee. The investigation centers around the alleged suicide of 20-year-old Nepalese student Prakriti Lamsal and the unrest that followed on campus.

The Higher Education department called upon KIIT's chief proctor P K Patnaik, director Sanhita Mishra, among others, to provide statements. The three-member committee, led by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Satyabrata Sahu, is investigating whether Lamsal had lodged any harassment complaints before her death, as claimed by fellow Nepalese students. Previously, on February 21, KIIT founder Achyuta Samanta and other top officials had appeared before the panel.

The Odisha government set up the high-level committee on February 18 to investigate the circumstances surrounding Lamsal's death. The probe will also address the alleged high-handedness of varsity authorities, the targeted issuance of notices to Nepalese students, and potential issues related to the ordering of a campus shutdown specifically for this group.