Nepal contacts Centre over KIIT student’s death

Bhubaneswar

Nepal has started diplomatic efforts to investigate the death of an 18-year-old Nepali student at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha, after she was found hanging in her hostel room on Thursday evening. This incident comes just over two months after another Nepali student, Prakriti Lamsal, also died by suicide at the same institute on February 16.

Nepal’s Foreign Minister, Arzu Rana Deuba, expressed deep sorrow over the death of Prisa Sah and said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken up the matter with senior Indian and Odisha officials and the Embassy of Nepal in Delhi. Nepal’s Ambassador to India, Shankar P Sharma, said they are coordinating with India’s Ministry of External Affairs, the Odisha government, local police, and KIIT for a full investigation.

Police said the student’s death appears to be a suicide, though no note was found. A post-mortem will be done once her parents arrive in Bhubaneswar. An unnatural death case has been registered, and police are examining her room for clues.

The Odisha government called the incident unfortunate, but KIIT has not commented yet. The February death had sparked protests, with allegations that Nepalese students were assaulted and forced off campus after demanding justice. That earlier case led to 10 staff arrests, and one Indian student was jailed for allegedly abetting suicide. Nepal’s Prime Minister had also raised the issue, prompting a high-level probe by Odisha and an NHRC inquiry.