UGC seeks KIIT report on Nepal student's suicide, protests, threats

The apex higher education regulator, the University Grants Commission, has sought a report from Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology on the recent events involving the suicide of a Nepali student on its campus followed by student protests, ill-treatment of Nepalese students on campus and threats of eviction.

ET gathers that the UGC is also in touch with the KIIT administration on the steps being taken to address the concerns raised around the incident and the treatment of Nepalese students on campus.

KIIT, being a private deemed university, falls under the remit of UGC's regulatory regime.


On February 16, a 20-year-old third-year Computer Science student at KIIT, Prakriti Lamsal, was found dead in her hostel room. Several of the 500 Nepalese students on campus protested, alleging harassment faced by Lamsal besides negligence at the institutional level. There are also reports of the varsity thereafter asking the Nepalese students to leave the campus immediately.

UGC has sought a report from KIIT amid full diplomatic row over the incident and continued exodus of Nepalese students. On Monday, the Nepal National Human Rights Commission stated that it had written to India's NHRC seeking investigation into the 'suspicious' suicide. It has also sought speedy justice for Nepalese students.

Earlier, Nepal's PM KP Sharma Oli had also expressed concern on the matter and sent two embassy officials to Bhubaneswar-based KIIT to assess the situation. The Ministry of External Affairs last week assured that India accords "high priority" to the safety, security and well-being of all international students.