Prakriti Lamsal, a third-year B.Tech student from Nepal studying at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), was found dead in her hostel on Sunday evening. While the exact cause of death is still being investigated, early reports suggest it might be a case of suicide.
Following the incident, Odisha police arrested Advik Srivastava on Monday. Reports from local media indicate that Srivastava, said to be Lamsal’s ex-boyfriend, had been harassing her.
The news of Lamsal’s death led to massive protests near the KIIT campus. Many students, including those from Nepal, gathered on Sunday night, demanding a fair and transparent investigation. To control the situation, authorities deployed two platoons of police officers.
KIIT officials tried to calm the protesting Nepali students, eventually sending them back to their hostels. However, tensions escalated after a video surfaced online, allegedly showing university authorities mistreating, manhandling, and even beating Nepali students during the protests.
Adding to the controversy, the university administration reportedly issued a notice asking all Nepali students to leave the campus immediately. A Nepali student from KIIT, speaking to The Ritible, claimed that the university has suspended Nepali students in an attempt to silence their demands for justice.
