Nepal PM intervenes after student death at Indian university

A private university in India has apologised after allegedly telling about 800 Nepali students to vacate their accommodation following the death of a student. 

Prakriti Lamsal, a Nepali student at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), was found dead on 15 February, reportedly by suicide. 

According to the Nepal Students’ Union (NSU), a Kathmandu-based organisation, Lamsal had been harassed by another student at the university. In response to her death, Nepali students at the institution began protesting on and around the university campus, including reportedly blocking a main road. 

This led the university to order all Nepali students to leave their accommodation, “demonstrating a shocking lack of empathy and responsibility”, the NSU said in a statement. 

“With over 800 Nepali students studying at KIIT, this reckless and discriminatory response has raised serious concerns about their safety, dignity and rights as international students,” the group said. 

The Odisha-based university told local press that it had attempted to “manage the situation peacefully” for over 10 hours.

“However, despite their best attempts, some protesters were unwilling to listen to the university authorities and continued to create disruptions, posing a challenge to law and order. They also blocked the main road for hours, causing inconvenience and escalating tensions,” a university representative told NDVT.

The incident prompted Nepal’s prime minister, K P Sharma Oli, to intervene. Writing on X on 17 February, he said the country’s Indian embassy had “dispatched two officers to counsel Nepali students affected in Odisha”.

“Additionally, arrangements have been made to ensure they have the option to either remain in their hostel or return home, based on their preference,” he continued. 

The university’s vice-chancellor, Saranjit Singh, has since apologised, writing in a letter published on 18 February that she was “extremely appalled by the untoward incident”. 

The letter claims that “irresponsible” comments were made by two members of staff, who have now been removed, but does not detail what the comments were. 

“We too apologise for all that has happened and hereby tender our love and affection to all the students and people of Nepal,” Singh wrote. 

A separate statement on the university’s website said the administration “has taken all-out efforts to restore normalcy in the campus and hostels to resume the academic activities. 

“An appeal is made to all our Nepali students who have or plan to leave the campus to return and resume the classes.”

It comes as India attempts to attract more international students to the country’s universities as part of the government’s goal of becoming a regional hub for international education. 

helen.packer@timeshighereducation.com