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KIIT students allege that only Nepali students were targeted, beaten, and forced to reset phones as private security deleted protest videos.
KIIT students allege targeted violence against Nepali students, claiming they were beaten and forced to reset phones as protest videos were deleted.
Stranded at Bhubaneswar railway station for hours without food, water, or tickets, hundreds of Nepali students enrolled at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Odisha, claimed they were “forced out and abandoned at the station” by the institute authorities in the early hours of Monday. This followed protests after a third-year BTech student died by suicide, allegedly after being harassed by a male student at the institute. The students are still struggling to come to terms with what transpired on campus.
While some are yet to reach home more than 48 hours after being made to vacate their hostel, many arrived home only on Tuesday night, bruised and traumatised.
One of the students who reached home late on Tuesday evening told News18 over the phone that his parents were relieved he was finally home and that they planned to reach out to the Nepal embassy to file a complaint regarding the treatment of the students.
“It is only now, when I am finally home, that I feel safe after being severely beaten at the institute where I had enrolled to study for four years and then being stranded for hours at a railway station without food or even a ticket to return home,” said a second-year Nepali BTech student at KIIT, a private deemed university in Bhubaneswar.
On Sunday afternoon (16 February), a 20-year-old Nepali BTech (Computer Science) student, Prakriti Lamsal, died by suicide in her hostel room, allegedly after being harassed by a fellow male student. Protests subsequently broke out on campus, led by Nepali students. The Odisha police on Tuesday arrested the male student in connection with Lamsal’s suicide and five institute staff members for “misbehaving with and manhandling” students.
Despite several attempts, News18 could not reach the institute administration. This report will be updated should a response be received.
‘Security Guards Kept Hitting, Forced to Reset Phones’
Speaking to News18, the Nepali student quoted above said the ordeal began on the night of the student protests on Sunday. After Lamsal’s suicide was discovered, a large group of Nepali students demanding action reached the International Relations Office (IRO) on campus. When they received no satisfactory response, they staged a protest. Institute authorities then called them to the auditorium to discuss the matter, but no concrete assurances were given. By midnight, as students resumed their protest, the local police deployed on campus resorted to a lathi charge.
There was panic, he added, and the protesting students gathered around the institute’s founder, Professor Achyuta Samanta, who had started addressing them. However, instead of pacifying them, Prof Samanta remarked that “such suicides were common at engineering institutes”, which further angered the students. In the ensuing commotion, the founder fell to the ground.
“The protest continued until late, after which students returned to their rooms. Around 6:00-6:30 am, an announcement was made at the international boys’ hostel, instructing only Nepali students to vacate the premises. Moments later, private security guards, accompanied by the hostel warden, barged into rooms, woke up only the Nepali students, dragged them out, and beat them mercilessly. Many students were left bleeding; one suffered a severe head injury. I was not even part of the protest, yet they beat us all up with their fists. The security guards were more like bouncers, repeatedly hitting us while forcing us to reset our phones and delete any protest videos. My head and arm are still bruised and in pain,” the BTech student recounted.
A notice was issued instructing Nepali students to vacate the hostel immediately. Those who questioned the violence were told they “should have thought about that before pushing Prof Samanta”.
A final-year Nepali engineering student told News18 that after the beatings, students were given just five minutes to pack their belongings.
“Like one would load luggage into a vehicle, we were hurriedly packed into two buses and dropped at different railway stations. Some were abandoned at Bhubaneswar, while others were left at Cuttack station. We had no food, no water, and some of us had no money to buy tickets. At Bhubaneswar station, the only Patna-bound train was scheduled to arrive at around 4:00 pm. From Patna, we had to take a bus to Nepal. While some students waited for the train and managed to squeeze into the general compartment, others searched for buses or alternative means to get home. Even after reaching Patna, there was a two-hour wait for a bus to Nepal. It was the most harrowing experience, and the thought of returning to campus terrifies me. Many of my batchmates were still on their way home until Tuesday night,” the student said.
While male students were evicted early Monday morning, female Nepali students were given some time but were also removed by 10:00-10:30 am the same day.
Students were due to sit their mid-semester examinations in ten days. “I do not know how anyone can write an exam in such a mentally disturbed state. I am not sure if I will be going back anytime soon,” another student added.
‘Students Locked Inside Hostels’
An Indian student told News18 that during the entire ordeal, all other students were locked inside their respective hostels and only allowed out on Monday evening, while female students were only permitted to leave on Tuesday morning.
Since Monday was a holiday following the institute’s fest, there were no scheduled classes. However, students boycotted classes on Tuesday in protest.
Following media reports on the alleged abuse of students, the institute issued a notice inviting Nepali students to return to campus.
The institute’s official website displayed a pop-up message titled ‘Appeal’ on its homepage on Tuesday, stating: “KIIT administration has taken all-out efforts to restore normalcy on campus and in hostels to resume academic activities. An appeal is made to all our Nepali students who have or plan to leave the campus to return and resume classes.”
Meanwhile, protests continue on campus amid heavy police deployment, with Indian and other foreign students also joining in to demand justice for the attack on Nepali students.
Another Indian BTech student said that 99% of Nepali students had already been evicted, with only five or six remaining, as they were unable to find transportation. Those who returned to campus were allegedly made to sign an undertaking before being allowed back in.
“They were forced to sign an undertaking that they would not engage in any activity deemed ‘indisciplined’ and would abide by institute rules. Hostel wardens are now targeting Indian students who participated in the protests, warning seniors against involvement or they may face disciplinary action,” the Indian student said.
None of the students felt comfortable being named, fearing retaliation from the institute.
ALSO READ: KIIT Suicide Row: How Reputed Is The Institution? Here’s Everything You Need To Know
Students also claimed that the IRO office had failed to take Lamsal’s complaints seriously, despite her repeated reports over the past month, including another complaint filed by her cousin, who is also a student on campus.
“Had the institute acted on her complaint, she would still be alive today. The male student she reported was merely called in and let off after signing an undertaking that he would not trouble her anymore. However, she was later physically assaulted by him, sustaining visible injuries on her face,” said one of her batchmates.
The Odisha government on Tuesday established a high-level fact-finding committee to investigate Lamsal’s suicide and the alleged misconduct of the institute in using force against students and forcefully evicting them.
