A third-year BTech student from Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar, Odisha was found dead in her hostel on Sunday, February 16. Prakriti Lamsal, a student from Nepal allegedly took her own life over harassment from her ex-boyfriend, Advik Srivastava.

Following her death, students of the university, particularly the Nepali students staged a protest accusing the university authorities of high-handedness and trying to cover up the matter.

Police complaint filed

The victim’s cousin filed a police complaint alleging harassment from Advik and a case has been registered against him for abetting suicide. Advik is currently in police custody for interrogation while the victim’s phone, laptop and other electronic devices have been seized for investigation while her body is preserved in the mortuary. 

Police have appealed to the students not to take the law into their own hands and to maintain peace.

KIIT university response

KIIT in a statement said, “A Nepali student studying in the third year of B-Tech committed suicide in the hostel yesterday. It is suspected that the student was in a love affair with another student studying at KIIT. It is suspected that the student may have committed suicide due to some reason.”

The KIIT said that the incident was immediately reported to the police.

KIIT university asks Nepali students to vacate campus

The university directed all Nepali students to vacate the campus and arranged for two buses to drop them off at Cuttack Railway Station. 

“Keeping in view the situation, the Nepal students have been sent to their respective homes. The situation presently remained calm,” the KIIT said.

#WATCH | Odisha: A https://t.co/jHgpcuG1h1 third-year girl student from Nepal was found dead in KIIT University (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology) hostel in Bhubaneswar on 16th February. As per a notice issued by the University, the institute is hence closed sine die… pic.twitter.com/vVfgY140up

— ANI (@ANI) February 17, 2025

“The police have sealed the deceased girl’s room and kept the body at the mortuary till the arrival of her parents,” a varsity official said.

Nepali students stage demonstration

Students expressed distress over the action as they were left stranded without tickets to reach home and had exams scheduled from the last week of February. Other students stated how they were restricted from leaving their hostels by university security guards. Two platoons of police personnel have been deployed at the campus and the victim’s room has been sealed.

Many students from Nepal assembled on the KIIT campus on Sunday night and staged a demonstration demanding justice.

“We were told to vacate hostel room and dropped at the railway station. We had to appear for examination on February 28…” a male student told reporters at the Cuttack railway station.

A video of a confrontation between the university staff and and the students is going viral on social media where the staff is seen hurling offensive remarks against the Nepali students though the authenticity of the video has not been confirmed.

(With PTI inputs)