Bhubaneswar: The Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar has come under scrutiny following the death of Nepali student Prakriti Lamsal and allegations of misconduct by university staff, which have sparked widespread criticism and tarnished the institution’s reputation.
Amid the growing controversy, viral videos circulating on social media have intensified concerns over the behaviour of university officials.
In response, KIIT issued an official apology through its Vice-Chancellor on the university’s X account. The statement also confirmed the suspension of two hostel officials and a senior administrative officer from the International Relations Office (IRO) while an inquiry has been launched against them.
Facing backlash online, faculty members have since shared their apology videos on social media. “Apologies for hurting any of the sentiments of my students, brothers, and sisters of Nepal,” one KIIT faculty member stated in a video.
@MEAIndia@PM_nepal_@DrSJaishankar@PMOIndia@MofaNepal@IndiaInNepal@EONIndia pic.twitter.com/zPsRL0wNm8
— Jayanti Nath (@JayantiNath6) February 18, 2025
The university continues to face criticism as calls for stronger action persist.
Apologies for hurting any of the sentiments of my students,brothers and sisters of Nepal@MEAIndia@PM_nepal_@DrSJaishankar@PMOIndia@MofaNepal@IndiaInNepal@EONIndia pic.twitter.com/0ftMLawxJZ
— manjusha pandey (@MPandey40122) February 18, 2025
Worth mentioning, Senior Congress member Taraprasad Bahinipati demanded a judicial probe into the incident in which the Nepali girl was suspected to have died by suicide and several other students from the Himalayan country were allegedly assaulted by KIIT staff.
“It hurts when we find that the students from Nepal were harassed in Odisha. Our state has a long-standing relationship with Nepal. The treatment by KIIT authorities has strained Odisha’s relationship with Nepal,” Bahinipati said.
The Congress MLAs also threatened that he would stage a dharna in the assembly if the chief minister did not order a judicial inquiry into the incident.
