Bhubaneswar, Feb 27: Around half a dozen senior officials from Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) appeared before a high-level committee formed by the Odisha government to probe the alleged suicide of a 20-year-old Nepalese B.Tech student, Prakriti Lamsal, and the subsequent unrest on campus.
The Higher Education Department had summoned key KIIT officials, including Chief Proctor P.K. Patnaik, Director Sanhita Mishra, Internal Committee Chief Ipsita Satpathy, Assistant Director Smarika Pati, and others, to present their statements before the committee.
The three-member panel, led by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Satyabrata Sahu, questioned the officials on whether Lamsal had previously lodged any complaint of harassment with the university’s International Relations Office (IRO), as alleged by other Nepalese students.
This follows an earlier session on February 21, where KIIT founder Achyuta Samanta and seven other top officials had recorded their statements before the committee.
The Odisha government constituted the high-level panel on February 18, tasking it with determining the circumstances that led to the alleged suicide, examining claims of high-handed actions by the university administration, investigating the rationale behind issuing notices specifically to Nepalese students, and the decision to close the institute sine die for them. The committee is also authorized to probe any other relevant aspects that emerge during the inquiry.
The Higher Education Department had summoned key KIIT officials, including Chief Proctor P.K. Patnaik, Director Sanhita Mishra, Internal Committee Chief Ipsita Satpathy, Assistant Director Smarika Pati, and others, to present their statements before the committee.
The three-member panel, led by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Satyabrata Sahu, questioned the officials on whether Lamsal had previously lodged any complaint of harassment with the university’s International Relations Office (IRO), as alleged by other Nepalese students.
This follows an earlier session on February 21, where KIIT founder Achyuta Samanta and seven other top officials had recorded their statements before the committee.
The Odisha government constituted the high-level panel on February 18, tasking it with determining the circumstances that led to the alleged suicide, examining claims of high-handed actions by the university administration, investigating the rationale behind issuing notices specifically to Nepalese students, and the decision to close the institute sine die for them. The committee is also authorized to probe any other relevant aspects that emerge during the inquiry.