KATHMANDU, Feb 18: The two officials of the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University in Bhubaneswar who threatened the Nepali students demanding fair investigation into the death of Prakriti Lamsal and demeaned them with derogatory remarks about Nepal have finally issued apology for their behavior.
Manjusha Pandey, the associate professor who claimed that the KIIT University owners spent more feeding 40,000 people for free than Nepal’s annual budget, took to social media and apologized for hurting the sentiments of Nepali people and students.
She took to Facebook on Tuesday and wrote, “I apologize for hurting the sentiments of my Nepali brothers and sisters.”
A video captured in the hostel where she is seen threatening students inside the hostel on Sunday night went viral on social media on Monday. The video captures a heated argument between two KIIT teachers and Nepali students.
Pandey, one of the teachers in the video, argued with Nepali students and remarked, “Go wherever you feel safe. Our university spends more on your welfare than the entire budget of the Nepal government.”
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After facing intense backlash on social media and high-level pressure for her derogatory remarks about Nepali students, Pandey tendered an apology.
She mentioned the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, Nepal’s Prime Minister, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, the Indian Prime Minister’s Office, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Indian Embassy in Nepal, and the Nepali Embassy in India in her post.
The university also apologized for statements some of its staff made in the heat of the moment during the discussion.
Similarly, Jayanti Nath, joint director of the girls hostel and students affairs has also apologized for her earlier remarks.
In a video message she said, “I want to take a moment to apologize for my recent remarks regarding Nepal while handling the student protest escalating beyond control. My intention was never to offend or demean anyone and I deeply regret if my words caused unintended harm to the sentiments of anyone. I want to emphasize that my words do not reflect the views of the university or any of the authorities. I am extremely sorry and apologize for whatever has happened.”
She added, “However, it is important to clarify that my words were a direct response to statements made during the protests that my country and my institution was corrupt and poor. In that heated exchange, my reply was meant to defend against those remarks, not to demean Nepal or its people.
Prakriti Lamsal, a 20-year-old third-year B. Tech. student at KIIT University was found dead in her hostel room on Sunday night. Smelling foul play after suspicious moves from the university officials, Nepali students had demonstrated in the campus premises on Sunday night, demanding fair investigation into the case. The university’s officials, in reply, displayed their evil side. Some staff physically assaulted Nepali students, some issued death threats to the students while others, including Pandey and Nath verbally abused the Nepali students on Sunday night.
On Monday morning, the university brutally evicted Nepali students from their hostels and left them stranded at a local train station.
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