Odisha govt directs KIIT to take action against staff involved in mistreatment of students

An order has been released by the Odisha government, requesting the administrators of the institution to take action against the staff members responsible for the abuse of students, following the recent suicide of a Nepalese girl in her dorm room, according to an official.

The state government's order was issued the day after Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi spoke with Nepal's Foreign Minister Dr Arzu Rana Deuba, who insisted that the teachers and staff who mistreated Nepalese students be removed from the college.

"We have already issued an instruction to the KIIT authorities to take prompt action to restore the confidence of Nepalese students who have not returned to the campus so far," a senior official said.

The Nepal government raised concerns about potential reprisals for its students if the "unruly" staff remain at KIIT. Of nearly 1,000 Nepalese students, only a few have returned, following assurances from the state and apologies.

"The students, including girls, who have undergone a harrowing experience on Feb 17 for being forcibly evicted from hostels, dropped at a railway station far away from Bhubaneswar without having tickets to return, are yet to recover from the fear," said one of the Nepalese students.

Around 10 KIIT employees, including several director-level executives and security guards, have been arrested by the authorities after reviewing CCTV footage on suspicion of assaulting the students.

On Feb 18, KIIT released a statement stating that two security personnel had been fired, two senior hostel officials, and one senior administrative officer of the International Relations Office (IRO) had been suspended awaiting investigation.

Additionally, the KIIT administration has apologized for the grief caused to the students by some of its employees' derogatory remarks.

On the afternoon of Feb 16, as the entire institute was celebrating its foundation day, the body of 26-year-old Nepalese girl Prakriti Lamsal was found in her dorm room.

Unrest at KIIT erupted when Nepalese students demanded justice and sought to see the girl's body. They were attacked by staff, and the institute subsequently ordered their eviction from the hostel.