Kathmandu, February 17
Nepali student Prakriti Lamsal, a third-year B.Tech student at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), was found dead on Sunday evening in the hostel campus of the university. While the cause of death is under investigation, initial reports suggest it may be a case of suicide.
Following the incident, authorities in Odisha arrested Advik Srivastava on Monday. Srivastava, identified as Lamsal’s “ex-boyfriend,” allegedly subjected her to harassment, according to reports from the Orissa Post, a local media outlet.
The incident has sparked widespread protests near the KIIT campus. Students, including many from Nepal, gathered on Sunday night to demand a transparent investigation into Lamsal’s death. In response, two platoons of police forces were deployed to maintain order.
KIIT officials engaged in discussions with the agitating Nepali students and later sent them home in an attempt to de-escalate tensions. However, the situation intensified after a video surfaced online, showing university authorities misbehaving , manhandling, and even beating Nepali students protesting on campus.
Further fueling controversy, the university administration has reportedly issued a notice instructing all Nepali students to vacate the university campus immediately. A Nepali student from KIIT, who spoke to Onlinekhabar, claimed that the university has suspended Nepali students in an attempt to suppress their protests for a fair and transparent investigation.
