Second Tragedy In 90 Days: Nepalese Student Found Dead At Odisha's KIIT Campus; Investigation Underway

KIIT Suicide Case: On May 1, 2025, 18-year-old Nepali student Prisha Sah was found dead in her hostel room at Bhubaneswar's Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT). A first-year B.Tech Computer Science student from Birgunj, Nepal, Sah was found hanging from the ceiling fan in her room at about 8:00 PM. As per NDTV report, police have filed a case of unnatural death and are investigating it as a suspected case of suicide until the post-mortem report is out.

"Today, we have received information that a girl from Nepal has died by suicide at the KIIT University. We reached there and investigated the matter. A detailed investigation will be conducted into the matter. The scientific team arrived, and all the necessary details were collected. Her family has been informed. The body has been sent to AIIMS for the post-mortem," Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissioner Suresh Dev Datta Singh told NDTV.

The death of the Nepali student is the second such incident at KIIT in less than three months. Earlier, on February 16, 2025, a third-year B.Tech student named Prakriti Lamsal was found dead in her hostel room. Lamsal had allegedly complained to the administration about a case of sexual harassment by a classmate, but no action was taken immediately. The suspect was picked up one day after she had died, and the National Human Rights Commission of India had labelled the inactivity of the university as "gross negligence."

The twin fatalities have seriously raised questions about the safety and well-being of international students at KIIT, especially from Nepal. The Nepalese Embassy in New Delhi has approached the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the Odisha state government, and the KIIT administration, seeking a proper probe into the incidents. Nepal's Foreign Minister Deuba said that diplomatic efforts were on to facilitate a proper investigation into Sah's death, according to the NDTV.

The Department of Information and Public Relations of the Odisha government made a statement mourning the incident and reiterating its resolve for a thorough investigation. Security has been stepped up inside and outside the university campus. While investigations proceed, the university is coming under increasing pressure to meet the concerns of its international student population and to provide them with an environment of safety and well-being.

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