 "KIIT suicide row: Who was Nepali student Prakriti Lamsal? Was she harassed by her ex?")
The death of a 20-year-old Nepali student allegedly by suicide has rocked a university in Odisha. Prakriti Lamsal, who hailed from Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, was found dead in her hostel room on Sunday (February 16) at Odisha’s Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT).
The university’s response following her demise has drawn flak. As Nepali students launched protests within the campus, they were reportedly roughed up and later asked to vacate the university. The row escalated and the Nepal Embassy had to intervene. Later, KIIT withdrew its order but the incident put the spotlight on the alleged high-handedness of varsity’s authorities.
Let’s take a closer look.
Who was Prakriti Lamsal?
Prakriti Lamsal was studying computer science at KIIT, Bhubaneswar. The third-year student from Nepal was an “introvert” who would not open up easily, her friends and family told Indian Express.
Lamsal dreamed of a career in the IT industry to “make her parents proud”. However, her wish will now remain unfulfilled.
The 20-year-old allegedly took her life after returning to her room from a college fest on Sunday. Her father, Sunil Lamsal, said to Indian Express that she had promised her mother over the phone to call her after returning to her room from the fest.
“She called her mother at 2:51 pm on Sunday and was absolutely normal then. She said she is going to attend the fest and may not be able to take a call for some time because of network issues… Between 5 pm and 5:30 pm on Sunday, we got a call from the university authorities…,” he said.
The grieving father said that he and Lamsal had attended a conference organised by KIIT in Kathmandu in 2022 to attract students from Nepal.
“They told us about the scope and facilities provided by the college, because of which we decided to send our daughter for admission. She is gone, but this shouldn’t happen with any other student. Students from far-off areas come here to study,” he said.
Was Prakriti Lamsal being harassed?
Prakriti Lamsal’s family and friends allege she was being harassed physically and verbally by Advik Shrivastava, a 21-year-old BTech student at KIIT, a resident of Lucknow.
Nishan Kanel, who accompanied Lamsal’s father to Bhubaneswar, told Indian Express, “My daughter and Prakriti were close friends. Though she had told my daughter, who is in Canada, about the harassment, she requested her not to tell anyone, fearing embarrassment. I came to know of this only after she died by suicide.”
Lamsal had reportedly approached the International Relations Office (IRO) at the university, flagging harassment by her “ex-boyfriend” Advik.
“She (Lamsal) had complained against the guy earlier too… But he resumed classes. There is an (unverified) audio message circulating online where a boy and girl can be heard talking. He is abusing her and threatening her while she is weeping. It is being said the voices belong to Lamsal and the accused,” a source told Moneycontrol.
In the purported audio, which surfaced after Lamsal’s death, a man can be heard hurling expletives at a woman who is heard sobbing. He even forces her to use derogatory language against herself and manipulates her to apologise.
The individuals heard in the clip refer to each other as Advik and Prakriti. However, Firstpost has not independently verified the audio.
KIIT registrar Jnyana Ranjan Mohanty confirmed to Indian Express that Lamsal had filed a complaint against the accused for “misbehaviour” with the IRO. Acting on her complaint, the IRO officials had called both the students, provided them with counselling and warned the accused.
KIIT has blamed a “personal dispute/issue” between Lamsal and the other student for her death.
Advik was arrested on Monday and has been booked on charges of abetment of suicide.
In the police complaint registered by Lamsal’s cousin Siddhant Sigdel, he suspected the accused of blackmailing her which led her to take the extreme step.
Outrage in Odisha
The Nepali student’s death and the handling of the protests after the tragic incident by the university have led to backlash.
As Nepali students launched protests on the campus over the young woman’s suicide, they were allegedly manhandled by the security personnel at KIIT.
Later, the private varsity asked the 500 students from Nepal to leave the campus. It later took a U-turn after intervention from the Nepal embassy and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
“Police have registered two cases, one in connection with the girl’s suicide following a complaint by her cousin, and another by the police on the contents of the social media video where security personnel and staff of the private university were [seen] abusing and beating up students who protested over the incident,” Bhubaneswar Deputy Commissioner of Police Pinak Mishra said.
The incident triggered a statewide uproar with the issue raised in the Odisha Assembly during the ongoing Budget Session. The Odisha government also took note of the “physical assault and racial behaviour” by the staff of the university against Nepali students.
A video of two senior university officials making objectionable remarks against students from Nepal had gone viral on social media. The two women seen in the clip have since issued a public apology.
KIIT has also apologised and urged Nepali students to return to the varsity and resume their studies. However, students have expressed fear after being shunted out of the varsity, reported PTI.
The row has snowballed with the Nepal government threatening to stop issuing no-objection certificates to students who wish to study in Odisha if the matter is not resolved in a “justifiable and legal way”.
The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu has assured the safety of Nepali students in India.
Meanwhile, the Odisha government has constituted a high-level panel headed by the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) to probe the circumstances of Lamsal’s death and the university’s handling of student protests.
With inputs from agencies
A collection of suicide prevention helpline numbers is available here. Please reach out if you or anyone you know needs support. The All-India helpline number is: 022-27546669
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