The tragic death by suicide of 20-year-old Prakriti Lamsal, a KIIT student in Odisha, has sparked a massive furor in Nepal’s Parliament. Consequently, parliamentarians have strongly demanded justice and called for firm diplomatic action to ensure the safety of Nepali students pursuing higher education in India. Allegations of “racist” comments by some university officials against agitating students have also increased tensions between the nations.
Nepali Lawmakers Demand Action
On Tuesday, federal Parliament members from Nepal expressed their concerns regarding Prakriti Lamsal, a third-year computer science student, and her unexplained death, demanding the government begin diplomatic negotiations with India to ensure student safety.
“Prakriti Lamsal’s sudden death while living in Odisha, India, during studies has shaken Nepal, society, and studies. There is a need for an equitable and true investigation into this matter. It has been reported to us that students are getting under extreme pressure,” stated Chabilal Bishwokarma, a ruling party CPN-UML lawmaker.
Opposition CPN-Maoist Centre’s Madhav Sapkota called for a high-level political dialogue with Indian officials. Parliamentarians from across the aisle, such as Dhruva Bahadur Pradhan, Thakur Gaire, Renu Chand, Rukmini Koirala, and Bishnukumar Sapkota, shared similar sentiments.
Narayan Dahal, National Assembly Chairperson of Nepal, demanded an unbiased and impartial inquiry into Lamsal’s death, saying, “An impartial, free, and fair investigation into the matter and providing her justice and attention from the Government of Nepal is hereby called for to make all possible diplomatic efforts.”
Nepal May Stop Student Exodus to Odisha
The Nepalese government has threatened to discontinue the issuance of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for students who desire to study in Odisha unless the situation is addressed fairly. The Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology called on the students and parents to exercise patience, assuring that it had established a help desk to enable a solution.
The ministry is making constant diplomatic efforts through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide a favorable atmosphere for the resumption of the studies of Nepalese students,” a government statement read.
Nepal’s Foreign Ministry further stated that it is in regular touch with the Nepalese embassy in New Delhi, the Odisha government, and KIIT University to sort out the issue. The ministry assured that KIIT has apologized for ill-treating Nepalese students and has also taken action against the guilty parties. Two officials of the Nepalese embassy have gone to Bhubaneswar to talk to local authorities and students.
Protests Break Out at KIIT Over Suicide
Lamsal’s suicide led to large-scale protests at KIIT, with students claiming that the administration did nothing when she had complained of being harassed by another student. Agitating students have blocked roads adjacent to the university, seeking justice.
In turn, the university administration first ordered all Nepali students to leave the campus. On February 17, a social media notice circulated that read, “KIIT is closed sine die for all international students from Nepal. They are hereby directed to vacate the university campus immediately.”
However, after the intervention of the Nepalese government, KIIT invited back students. “The administration of KIIT made all-out attempts to bring back normalcy to the campus and hostels to reopen academic activities,” the varsity stated.
Odisha Government Orders Probe
On Tuesday, the Odisha government set up a three-member fact-finding committee, headed by Additional Chief Secretary Satyabrata Sahu, to probe Lamsal’s death and how student protests were handled. Higher Education Minister Suryavanshi Suraj said, “Appropriate legal and administrative action shall follow based on the findings of the fact-finding committee.”
Five people, including KIIT employees Sibananda Mishra, Pratap Kumar Champaty, and Sudhir Kumar Rath, and security personnel Ramakaant Nayak and Jogendra Behera, were arrested. They were accused under BNS Sections 115(2) (hurt to any person), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 296 (obscene act), and 3(5) (common intention).
Two security guards who were observed beating up Nepalese students in a viral video were terminated by the university, while two hostel authorities were suspended. Apart from this, a KIIT’s International Relations Office (IRO) administrative officer was suspended for not attending to Lamsal’s complaints.
I condemn the deplorable behaviour of authorities in KIIT university. These ladies should explain why they are intimidating students.
A female student from Nepal has comitted Suicide. Investigation is on but why misbehave Students.
This is very unlikely of Indian behavior.… pic.twitter.com/OLVVWCTYys
— Dr Lenin Mohanty (@DrLeninMohanty1) February 17, 2025
The Suicide and Allegations of Harassment
Prakriti Lamsal, a 20-year-old BTech student, was discovered dead in her hostel room on February 16. Social media reports claim that she was harassed by her ex-boyfriend, Advik Srivastava, a Lucknow student. Her cousin Siddhant Sigdel registered a police complaint against Srivastava for blackmailing her, which prompted her to commit suicide.
Bhubaneswar Deputy Commissioner of Police Pinak Mishra confirmed that police officials seized Lamsal’s laptop and phone for inspection. “The police team soon reached the site and seized the body. Our scientific team has taken her laptop and phone as the agitating student demanded,” he said.
Lamsal’s father, Sunil Lamsal, was left grief-stricken and hoping for justice, and he said, “We have sent our daughter for higher education, but such a tragic event occurred here. We have full faith in the state government and police administration that they will provide justice to our daughter. I hope such things don’t occur to anyone in the future.”
The post-mortem of the student was carried out at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, and its results are yet to come in.
Future Implications
The incident has also sparked fears about the safety of foreign students in India, especially Nepalese students. The Odisha government will seek an explanation from KIIT over derogatory comments made by officials against Nepalese students.
A top government official stated, “The incident has tarnished the image of the state. The government has taken note of the issue and will request KIIT authorities to take action against all officials.”
While that is happening, KIIT has also established a 24/7 control room to help the returnee Nepalese students and is committed to strengthening grievance redressal systems.
