University Staff Makes Racial Comments Toward Protesting Nepalese Students

February 19, 2025

A 20-year-old Nepalese engineering student, Prakriti Lamsal, at the private university Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, died in an alleged suicide on Feb. 16, sparking demands for justice for her family and enforce measures against racial mistreatment.

The third-year B.Tech student was reportedly subjected to harassment by her boyfriend, a 21-year-old mechanical engineering student at the same institute, who was arrested on Feb. 17, according to the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissionerate, as reported by The Kathmandu Post.

Various other arrests reportedly followed the death. Five individuals linked to the institute, including three directors and two security guards, were taken into custody on different charges.

A viral video showing a heated exchange inside the hostel where Lamsal resided purported to show the insensitivity of KIIT authorities, said The Wire. In the clip, a female official tells Nepalese students to find safety elsewhere and claims the university’s spending on student welfare exceeds Nepal’s national budget, sparking widespread criticism and student protests. Some security guards and others are also seen beating up Nepalese students.

In an initially contentious move, KIIT reportedly ordered its Nepalese students to vacate their hostels. Many did not have the means to return home on such short notice, leading to a surge of distress and viral videos shared online. The scenes showed some students stranded at a railway station, complaining of abandonment by campus authorities. Within hours, the university reportedly revoked the hostel clearance directive. It set up a 24/7 control room on campus to assist returning students and apologised for what it acknowledged as “unfortunate” events.

Protests quickly spread in multiple regions. Students in Nepal, India and beyond denounced the circumstances surrounding Lamsal’s passing and urged justice.

On Feb. 18, hundreds of students reportedly held a candlelight vigil and marched through the KIIT campus. The demonstration was intended to call attention to what protesters described as the university’s failure to address the repeated complaints Lamsal allegedly made against her boyfriend, as well as reported acts of force used against students in the aftermath of her death.

The controversy surrounding Achyuta Samanta, founder of KIIT and its sister institution Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), has resurfaced with allegations of illegal land acquisitions and exploiting tribal education for profit, noted Odisha TV.

Despite Samanta’s claim that KISS operates without government aid, RTI responses and official records show that it received over  580 million (58 crore) rupees in public funds since 2007, including 120 million (12 crore) rupees from the Tribal Affairs Ministry and substantial state scholarships, the news media said, adding that KISS also benefits from foreign grants and heavily subsidised rice, receiving up to 75 tons monthly, which totals roughly 225 million (22.5 crore) rupees annually.

Furthermore, while Samanta asserts that 30,000 tribal students are enrolled at KISS, the 2017-18 data indicates only 18,998 were actually registered, according to Odisha TV, which pointed out that in response to RTI inquiries about its operations, KISS authorities claimed exemption from RTI obligations, stating they do not fall under its jurisdiction.

The institution has also faced allegations of providing inadequate meals, with students receiving only flattened rice for breakfast, substandard hostel conditions and insufficient supervision, with only two staff members for 400 students, Odisha TV said, citing a 2017 inspection.

The Odisha government has reportedly announced that it placed the institution “under notice” and created a high-level fact-finding committee to investigate the circumstances around Lamsal’s death and the subsequent confrontation between Nepalese students and security staff. The government pledged to act on the committee’s findings with “appropriate legal and administrative” measures.

Several officials from Nepal travelled to Bhubaneswar to meet with university authorities and students. Nepal’s Embassy in New Delhi noted that discussions centred on securing justice for Lamsal and her family, organising safe return options for students who had already left for other cities or for Nepal, and ensuring the protection of all Nepalese students on campus.

Lawmakers in Nepal’s parliament debated the incident, with some labelling the government’s response inadequate and describing the event as a “diplomatic” shortfall. The Ministry of Education in Nepal condemned what it called KIIT’s deplorable treatment of Nepalese students and warned that it might stop issuing no-objection letters if the case remained unresolved through proper legal channels.

Many Nepalese students are returning to campus but remain apprehensive about future safety and fairness.

While “normalcy” may slowly return to KIIT, authorities in both Odisha and at the national level in India are being urged to ensure justice for Lamsal and robust anti-racial safeguards.