Nepal student suicide at KIIT sparks tension

Incident draws intervention of Nepal PM, Odisha univ asks protesting students to vacate campus, revokes decision later

- ASISH MEHTA @Bhubaneswar

A 20-year-old Nepali student's suicide after allegedly being harassed by a fellow student on Sunday evening sparked tension at KIIT University here while drawing intervention from the government of the former's country.

While students held campus-wide protests which threatened to spill out of control, the university on Monday morning asked the international students from the neighbouring country to vacate the campus but revoked the decision later in the day as it invited diplomatic intervention by Nepal.

Expressing concern on the matter, Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli took to social media to inform that two officers from the country's Embassy in New Delhi were dispatched to Odisha to look into it.

The victim, a third-year B Tech student, ended her life by hanging at about 4.30 pm on Sunday when her roommates were away to attend the university's annual fest. The incident led to outrage among other students from Nepal who launched a strong protest.