A Nepali student at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) died by suicide in the hostel room on February 16. As more students from her country held protests to demand action from the institute, they were allegedly evicted from campus. Videos of a heated exchange between the staff and Nepali students circulated online, where the professors were heard threatening the students.
One staffer, Manjusha Pandey, was heard shouting, "We are feeding and teaching over 40,000 students for free." Another staffer Jayanti Nath added, "That is equivalent to your country's budget." As the video went viral and triggered massive outrage, both professors posted an apology video on social media.
Protests After Student Dies By Suicide
On February 16, a third-year B Tech (computer science) student at KIIT in Bhubaneswar was found dead in her hostel room. The 20-year-old student from Nepal died by suicide. She had earlier complained of harassment by another student, 21-year-old Advik Srivastava, according to Kathmandu Post. However, reportedly no action was taken against him.
According to social media statements by many KIIT students, the hostel wardens took custody of the body before the police could intervene. The body was then allegedly sent to the Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) for a post-mortem without the parents' consent. A varsity official told the Press Trust of India, "The police have sealed the deceased girl's room and kept the body at the mortuary till the arrival of her parents."
Srivastava, the accused, was arrested in Lucknow on February 17. Three KIIT officials identified as Sibananda Mishra (59), Director General of HR; Pratap Kumar Chamupaty (51), Director of Administration; Sudhir Kumar Rath (59), Director of Hostels were arrested. Two security guards, identified as Ramakanta Nayak (45) and Jogendra Behera (25), were also arrested.
After the woman's tragic death, many students, especially from her home country, took to the streets in protest, demanding action. In response, the institute reportedly declared an indefinite break for all Nepali students and ordered them to vacate the campus. However, they later requested them to “return to the campus and resume classes”.
A criminal case against the accused under Sections 126 (2) [wrongful restraint], 296 [obscene acts], 115 (2) [voluntarily causing hurt], and 3 (5) [joint criminal liability] of the BNS registered. The Indian Embassy in Nepal has promised students a thorough investigation into the matter. The Odisha government has constituted a three-member high-level fact-finding team headed by the Additional Chief Secretary (Home).
Professors Post Apology
Staffers Manjusha Pandey and Jayanthi Nath posted public apologies on their social media handles after the video of the argument caused massive outrage. Pandey claimed that her insensitive comments were made "in the spur of the moment."
She said, "I want to communicate that whatever statements I made are mine and have nothing to do with any of the KIIT University. If any of my statements have hurt the sentiments of any of my Nepali students or people of Nepal, I apologise for it sincerely."
Meanwhile, Jayanthi Nath claimed that her response was a reaction to some of the students allegedly calling India and KIIT "corrupt and poor". She said, "I deeply regret if my words caused unintended hurt to anyone's sentiment. I want to emphasise that my words do not reflect the views of the university or any of the faculties. I am extremely sorry and apologetic for whatever has happened... In that heated exchange, my reply was made to defend against these remarks, not to demean Nepal or its people anywhere."
Pandey and Nath tagged the Prime Minister of Nepal, India's Ministry of External Affairs, Union Minister S Jaishankar, and the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu among others in the apology video. KIIT also posted a statement from Vice Chancellor Saranjit Singh. The institute said it has removed two of its officers from service for making "extremely irresponsible" statements.
"KIIT has always been a home to students from across the world, fostering a culture of inclusivity, respect, and care. We deeply regret the recent incident and reaffirm our commitment to the safety, dignity, and well-being of all our students, including our dear Nepali students," the institute's statement read.
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