Row Over Student's Death at KIIT, Nepal Sends Team

The death of a Nepali student at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha triggered a controversy on Monday after the institution allegedly cracked down on students protesting against the incident and evicted them from the hostel, prompting the Nepal's Prime Minister to intervene.

- HT Correspondents

BHUBANESWAR/NEW DELHI:

Tensions rose on the campus in Bhubaneswar after a third-year BTech student from Nepal was found dead in her hostel room on Sunday evening. The 20-year-old computer science student allegedly died by suicide after being harassed by a male student, authorities said.

Local police detained the male student -- the son of Manoj Srivastava, a BJP leader in Lucknow -- and lodged a case against him for allegedly abetting the suicide, Bhubaneswar deputy commissioner of police Pinak Mishra told reporters. He added that police had seized the mobile phone, laptop and other gadgets of the deceased and were conducting a scientific investigation.

Police said the accused, who knew the victim, had secretly taken a few photos of her which led to conflict between the two. "The accused used to blackmail the victim," police commissioner S Dev Dutt Singh said.