Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi today assured that justice would be served in the death of a Nepali girl student from KIIT University last Sunday night.
Shri Majhi made this assurance while speaking to Nepali Counselors Sanjeeb Das Sharma and Navin Raj Adhikari, who were deputed by the Nepalese Prime Minister to assess the safety of Nepali students at the University.
The Chief Minister also assured them that peace and normalcy would be restored on the KIIT campus and urged Nepali students to return and resume their studies.
According to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), Shri Majhi held discussions with the two officials from the Nepalese Embassy at the State Guest House today. Odisha Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling, Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj, and Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja were also present at the meeting, which focused on restoring normalcy at KIIT.
Additionally, Nepal’s Foreign Minister, Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba, spoke with Suryabanshi Suraj over the phone on Wednesday regarding the matter.
Shri Suraj said that the Odisha Government apprised the Nepalese officials on the measures taken by the state government, and they appreciated them.
The State has formed a high-level committee to probe into the circumstances under which the girl took her life and the alleged mistreatment of Nepalese students.
“We told the visiting Nepalese embassy officials that Prakriti is also a daughter of Odisha and justice would be done to her and other students from the Himalayan nation who has allegedly been beaten up by KIIT staff. We will ensure the safety of the students,” Suraj told reporters, adding that the state government has opened a helpdesk (WhatsApp 9124620605) to address the issue of Nepalese students.
Meanwhile, the high-level Fact-Finding Team led by Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Satyabrata Sahu visited KIIT University and held discussions with university authorities and Nepali students.
ACS Shri Sahu informed reporters that the team would submit a detailed report on the death of the Nepali student and the incidents that followed.
On Tuesday, Commissionerate Police arrested three directors of KIIT University and two security guards in connection with the unrest following the student’s suicide. The arrested officials include KIIT University’s HR Director Sibananda Mishra, Director of Administration Pratap Champati, and Director of Hostels Sudhir Rath.
Additionally, two security guards, Ramakanta Nayak and Jogendra Behera, were arrested for allegedly assaulting Nepali students protesting the death of their fellow student. All five were produced before a local court, which granted them bail.
A third-year B Tech student, Adivik Srivastav, was arrested and sent to judicial custody in connection with the Nepali student’s suicide.
Police Commissioner S Devdutt Singh informed that preliminary evidence suggested harassment by the accused student, which allegedly led to the suicide.
“Police are getting permission from the court to take the lone accused (also an engineering student) on remand for three days. We will further interrogate him and verify the allegation of harassment leading to the girl’s suicide,” Shri Singh said.
While a palpable tension prevails on the campus, student organisations have been staging demonstrations across the state capital here demanding justice for the deceased girl. Supporters of ABVP, AISF, NSUI, and Nav Nirman Chhatra Sangathan staged protests.
Meanwhile, a post-mortem examination was conducted at AIIMS Bhubaneswar on Tuesday, and the deceased student’s body was handed over to her father and brother to be taken to Nepal for final rites.
The Higher Education Department has taken serious note of the recent unfortunate incident at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), a Deemed to be University.
To facilitate the safety and security of students affected by the incident, their safe return and protection of their academic interest, the Department hereby forms a 24×7 helpdesk. Kali Prasanna Mohapatra, Director, Higher Education has been nominated as the Nodal Officer of the help desk. Rajata Manasingh, Deputy Director will assist him in this regard.
The help desk will also reach out to students and facilitate their early return or any other issue relating to their personal well-being. All affected students and parents are requested to reach out to the Help Desk for early return to the Institution for their academic pursuit.