Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology
(KIIT) University additional registrar, Shyam Sundar Behura, said on Thursday that Nepali students have started returning to the campus. He confirmed that the university has been in touch with parents and have agreed to send their children back.
Speaking to ANI, Behura said, “They (Nepali students) have started returning. We had a dedicated control room set up to stay connected with parents. They have been returning since the evening of February 18, and both male and female students have arrived. We have taken all necessary actions and kept parents informed. Since yesterday, our vice chancellor has been holding video conferences with parents.”
He added, “We held a meeting yesterday and again today, lasting about 1.5 to 2 hours. Parents are directly interacting, and they are convinced their wards should return. It is an ongoing process. We are making arrangements for their arrival and settlement. Classes have resumed, and everything is normal.”
His statement comes after a third-year BTech student was found dead in her hostel room on February 16. Following the incident, Nepali students protested, alleging that she had been harassed by a fellow student and that the university had ignored previous complaints.
After videos of clashes between the campus guards, teachers, and protesting students went viral on social media, KIIT was closed “sine die” for all international students from Nepal. “They are hereby directed to vacate the university campus immediately,” the authorities had announced.
Also read: Nepali student death row: Odisha govt panel summons KIIT founder Achyuta Samanta over ‘forced eviction’
A video clip had gone viral showing two KIIT University teachers in a heated exchange with Nepalese students, where they made controversial remarks comparing the university’s student welfare to Nepal’s national budget.
The teachers were seen telling protesting students, “Do not insult the founder of this university. The man is feeding 40,000 students for free. Such an amount would even be more than your country’s entire budget.”
Following this, Nepal’s PM K P Sharma Oli claimed “forced eviction” of his country’s protesting students and requested Delhi to resolve the matter.
Police arrested the accused student, Advik Srivastava, on February 17 and sent him to judicial custody the same day, as per a press release from the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissionerate.
