Tragedy strikes KIIT again: Second Nepalese student found dead in hostel room

In a deeply unsettling repeat of a tragedy just over two months ago, a first-year engineering student from Nepal was found dead in her hostel room at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) on May 1 evening, triggering renewed concerns over student welfare at one of Odisha’s most prestigious educational institutions.

The deceased, originally from Birgunj, Nepal, had reportedly not responded during the evening attendance roll call around 7 p.m. When hostel staff went to check on her, she was found unresponsive in her room. The hostel warden immediately alerted the police around 8 p.m.

Senior police officials, including Bhubaneswar Police Commissioner S Dev Dutta Singh, rushed to the scene with a forensic team. The student’s room was sealed off and examined for evidence. “We have registered a case of unnatural death. The investigation is ongoing and all angles will be thoroughly explored,” Commissioner Singh told reporters at the scene.

The tragic incident comes just weeks after the suicide of another 20-year-old student from Nepal at the same institute — a case that had already stirred unease among the international student community. Authorities have since informed the Nepal Embassy in New Delhi, and the student's family is expected to arrive in Bhubaneswar on Friday. A postmortem will be conducted at AIIMS Bhubaneswar once they are present.

KIIT officials have pledged full cooperation with the investigation. “We are committed to supporting the authorities in every way possible to get to the truth,” a spokesperson from the institute stated.

Meanwhile, police are interviewing fellow hostel residents to determine whether the student showed any signs of distress or had confided in anyone before her death.

As another young life is lost under troublingly similar circumstances, questions loom large over student mental health, international student support, and the broader culture of silence surrounding personal struggles in India’s high-pressure academic environments.