The Odisha government has vowed to take strict action against those responsible for the death of a Nepalese student at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) and the alleged assault on students from Nepal. As tensions escalate, Congress activists staged a massive protest, demanding the immediate arrest of KIIT founder Achyuta Samanta.
A large number of youth and student activists of Congress gathered outside KIIT’s main gate, burning an effigy of Samanta and attempting to storm the campus. A scuffle broke out between security personnel and protesters as they tried to breach the institute’s premises.
The demonstration followed demands in the Odisha Assembly for a judicial inquiry into the death of the 20-year-old student and subsequent attacks on Nepalese students. Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj stated that the government is awaiting the findings of a high-level committee before initiating action. He confirmed that eight top functionaries of KIIT, including its founder, have already deposed before the panel.
Police investigations have led to the arrest of at least 10 people, including bouncers, security guards, and officials of the institute. One person has been charged with abetment to suicide, with police verifying his role in harassing the deceased student. A viral audio clip linked to the case has been sent for a voice spectrograph test, and if found authentic, charges under the IT Act will also be filed.
Senior Congress leader and former Odisha chief secretary Bijay Patnaik has alleged racial discrimination at KIIT, claiming that only Nepalese students were forcibly evicted from the campus. He further accused the institute’s staff of using derogatory language against Nepal, a country that shares close ties with India.
Patnaik also slammed the “silence” of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the central government, demanding that KIIT be issued a show-cause notice questioning its “Deemed to be University” status over alleged discriminatory practices.
Calling the incident a stain on Odisha’s reputation, Patnaik warned that foreign students and their parents would now hesitate to send their children to study in the state. He urged the Odisha Governor to set up a special cell to address complaints from international students.
Raising political heat, Patnaik accused KIIT’s founder of enjoying political patronage under the previous BJD government and challenged the new BJP-led administration to prove its commitment to justice. “The KIIT controversy is now a test for the BJP government to show that it is different from the BJD dispensation,” he asserted.
