Nepali student’s suicide on Odisha campus led to diplomatic row, one arrested
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A diplomatic row erupted between India and Nepal after about 500 Nepali students at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha were ordered to leave the campus on Monday, February 17 following the alleged suicide of a Nepali female student, Prakriti Lamsal, leading to the arrest of a third-year student in connection with the suicide.
The situation escalated into a diplomatic issue after Nepal’s Prime Minister intervened, prompting the university to revoke its eviction order and request the return of the displaced students.
The deceased student, identified as Prakriti Lamsal, was a BTech (Computer Science) student, while the accused, Advik Shrivastava, a BTech (Mechanical) student from Lucknow, was arrested near Bhubaneswar Airport as he attempted to leave the city.
Reports indicate that Lamsal was found dead in her hostel room, and the police launched an investigation, seizing the accused’s laptop, phone, and personal diary. The case was registered under section 108 of the BNS (abetment of suicide) based on a complaint filed by the victim’s cousin, who alleged that Shrivastava had been blackmailing Lamsal, leading her to take the extreme step. The victim’s family arrived in Bhubaneswar to collect her body after the post-mortem examination.
The incident triggered a wave of protests among Nepali students, who staged demonstrations on campus on the night of February 16, demanding justice and transparency from the university administration.
Their agitation intensified the next morning as they blocked the main road leading to the university, prompting the administration to issue a sine-die order instructing all Nepali students to leave the campus immediately. Some students were reportedly forced onto university buses and transported to railway stations in Cuttack, sparking further outrage.
Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli stated that the country’s embassy in New Delhi had dispatched two officers to counsel the affected students and had made arrangements for them to either stay in their hostel or return home, depending on their preference. Following mounting pressure, Odisha’s Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj announced that KIIT had revoked the eviction order and urged Nepali students to return to the campus to resume their studies.
The Odisha Higher Education Minister condemned the forced eviction and reiterated the state’s long-standing ties with Nepal, citing cultural and historical links. The state home department took action following the incident, ensuring the arrest of the accused while affirming that necessary measures would be taken to prevent such incidents in the future.
KIIT issued a statement expressing regret over the incident and urging Nepali students to return to the campus, assuring them that normalcy had been restored in hostels and academic spaces. However, videos circulating on social media showed university officials engaging in heated arguments with Nepali students, further fueling discontent over the handling of the situation.