The case of alleged suicide of Prakriti Lamsal, the 20-year-old Nepali student of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar is increasingly yielding fresh details. An audio clip, purportedly containing abuses hurled by Advik Srivastava (21), a fellow student of Prakriti, is being shared on various social media platforms. The clip records the verbal assault Srivastava subjected Prakriti to. In the clip, Advik can be heard making derogatory comments about Prakriti and her mother. He then even coerced a scared Prakriti to accept his demeaning accusations.
Prakriti Lamsal committed suicide on Sunday (February 16). It has been revealed that she was approaching KIIT officials for months and requesting them to action series of incidents that unfolded after that has raised questions on KIIT's handling of the situation.
It has been alleged that as Nepali students protested against Lamsal's death, they were forced by the institute to leave the hostels. KIIT officials reportedly assaulted the Nepali students. They were then put on a bus and taken to Cuttack railway station which is 20 kms away from the institute. Student, without a roof over their heads, had to take shelter on railway platforms.
The sequence of events has found mention even in Nepali media which has strongly demanded justice for Pakriti Lamsal and other Nepali students.
As the issue got raised in Nepali parliament, the Embassy of Nepal in India has also demanded proper investigation into Prakriti's death. The embassy said on Monday that it had spoken with the institute and requested housing the Nepali students on the campus itself.
“The university authorities informed the embassy that they would operate the classes and house the students in the campus as per the embassy’s request,” the embassy said in a statement.
“The university has expressed its strong commitment to take the issue seriously,” it said further.
In India, Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi took to X (formerly Twitter) to demand action against the institute.
Advik Srivastava meanwhile, has been arrested. Media reports say that he was arrested while trying to flee the state.
