Case filed against fellow student for abetting suicide of Nepali student
KATHMANDU, Feb 18: The Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha, India, and its misbehaving officials, on Tuesday, apologized for their misbehavior meted out to Nepali students following widespread public outrage across social media platforms on the handling and reaction of the university and its officials of the death of a Nepali student at the university hostel.
However, netizens have rejected the apologies issued by the university and its officials and demanded strict action against the university and its staff.
On Sunday evening 20-year-old Prakriti Lamsal, a third-year B.Tech student from Butwal, Nepal, was found dead in her hostel room. Following alleged mishandling of the dead body and the tampering of evidence in the room, Nepali students had staged a demonstration demanding fair investigation into the case.
However, the university resorted to violence to subdue the protest and brutally evicted the students the following morning, leaving the situation tense.
Case filed against suspect Srivastava for abetting Nepali student’s suicide
Bhubaneswar police have filed a criminal case against her alleged ex-lover in connection with the Lamsal’s alleged suicide.
According to the police, Siddhant Sigdel, Lamsal’s cousin, who is a 3rd year B.Tech (Mechanical) student at KIIT, filed a complaint at Infocity Police Station, alleging that Lamsal had taken her own life due to harassment by Advik Srivastava, a 21 year old 3rd year B.Tech (Mechanical) student.
Based on the complaint, police registered a case under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against Srivastava for alleged abetment of suicide, said the police in a press release. He was arrested on February 17 and has been placed in judicial custody. While the investigation is ongoing, authorities have seized documents and electronic evidence related to the case, according to the press release.
Earlier, students claimed that Srivastava was sent back to his home by the university administration to ‘control the situation.’ Srivastava is reportedly the son of an influential politician in India’s Uttar Pradesh state.
Meanwhile, police have also initiated a separate investigation into allegations of manhandling by university security personnel during the unrest. A second case was registered at Infocity Police Station under multiple sections of the BNS.
Authorities have assured a fair and impartial investigation, emphasizing the safety and security of all students, including those from Nepal. The Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate Police has urged students to reach out in case of any difficulties.
Apologies
Five staff dismissed; three directors, two guards detianed
The KIIT university in a statement on Tuesday stated that two security guards and two hostel staff members, who were responsible for manhandling and misbehavior toward Nepali students, have been dismissed. Additionally, one administrative staff member and two senior officials from the International Relations Office (IRO) have been suspended.
Three directors and two guards of the university were briefly detained by the Odisha state authorities but they were bailed out on a meagre bond of INR 20,000. The three arrested directors include Director General of HR Sibananda Mishra, Director of Administration Pratap Kumar Chamupaty and Director of Hostels Sudhir Kumar Rath.
Security guards Ramakanta Nayak, 45, and Jogendra Behera, 25, were also arrested in connection with the incident. The police have registered a criminal case against them for the offenses of wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt and joint criminal liability of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the criminal code of India.
The university, through its statement, appealed to Nepali students to return to campus and resume their studies staying in the hostels. “We are also regretful of the way some of us behaved with the agitating students. We love our students and have never done any disservice to them,” reads the statement.
However, the agitating Nepali students, who have been demanding fair investigation into the death have yet to return to the college, fearing further misbehavior. Nepali students were brutally kicked out from the university hostel and left them stranded at a local train station on Monday morning.
Two misbehaving officials tender apology, one sticks to victim-blaming
The two officials of the KIIT University who threatened the Nepali students demanding fair investigation into Lamsal’s death and demeaned them with derogatory remarks about Nepal, issued separate apologies for their behavior on Tuesday. However, one of them has still resorted to blaming the assaulted students for prompting her mistreatment towards them.
Jayanti Nath, joint director of the girls hostel and students affairs, the university official that demeaned Nepali students with derogatory remarks and threats apologized for her earlier remarks but also claimed that her remarks were a reaction to the conduct of the students.
In a video message she apologized for her remarks while handling the student protest and claimed that her intention was never to offend or demean anyone. She added she regrets if her words caused unintended harm to the sentiments of anyone and emphasized that her words do not reflect the views of the university.
However, she also said, “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.”
Nath’s defensive argument that her derogatory remarks were prompted by Nepali students’ demand for fair investigation has sparked another outrage as netizens have pointed out that her reasoning is a form of victim-blaming.
Similarly, 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 Pandey, Nath and Nepali students.
Pandey 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.”
After facing intense backlash on social media and high-level pressure for her derogatory remarks about Nepali students, Pandey and Nath tendered an apology video apiece.
While both the university officials have turned off the comment section of their apology posts fearing negative reaction, netizens have shared and rejected both of the apologies.
Furthermore, they have demanded action against both the officials and the university itself for the mistreatment of Nepali students.
Over 200 students return home, 27 others back to university hostel
According to a student studying at KIIT University, Nepali students are still living outside the university. “The college has appealed to us to return. However, we have decided to return only after understanding the situation of the college,” said a student, asking not to be named.
He said that some students are returning to Nepal and some are staying in hotels there. “Around 200 students have returned to Nepal. They are on their way home now. Other students are staying in hotels here. We have decided to return to the university only if the college creates a safe environment,” he said.
KIIT had issued a statement on Monday itself urging Nepali students to return. The college had urged the students to return to campus and participate in academic activities.
A Nepali student studying at the university said the 27 students returned to the college hostel on Tuesday and met with two police officials mobilized by the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi.
He said, “We, 27 students, have returned to the university hostel. We have also met with two officers who came from the Nepal government. Other students are still outside the university. We have received information that more than 200 students are going to Nepal.”
A student studying at the university said that two senior Nepal Police officers, Sanjeev Sharma Das and Nabin Raj Adhikari, met them at the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi on Tuesday.
He said, “Sanjeev Sharma Das and Nabin Raj Adhikari, on behalf of the Government of Nepal, have met with us. They have assured us that they will engage with the university authorities to address our concerns and provide necessary assistance.”
The student also said that the officers will meet with the university authorities to get more information about the incident.
