Lawmakers against sending Nepalese students to KIIT, Odisha

Members of the National Assembly have urged for a halt to sending Nepali students to the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha, India, where two Nepalese female students died in a suspicious manner within three months period.

They proposed denying Non-Objection Certificates (NOCs) to any student seeking enrollment at the institute, according to the Parliament Secretariat sources.

During an emergency session of the upper house, lawmakers expressed serious concern over the safety of Nepali students enrolled at the KIIT, following the recent death of a Nepali student under suspicious circumstances – the second such incident in recent months.

Tul Prasad Bishwakarma of the Rastriya Janamorcha and Madan Kumari Shah of the CPN (Unified Socialist) were among those who demanded termination of issuing NOC for KIIT. Shah also asked parents and guardians to be aware of the matter related to the safety of their children.

Mohammad Khalid of the Janata Samajbadi Party and Krishna Bahadur Rokaya of the Nepali Congress called on the government to ensure a thorough investigation into the death of the female student from Nepal and to provide justice to her family.

It may be recalled that Prinsa Sah, a 20-year-old Nepali student from Parsa district allegedly committed suicide on Thursday, May 1, at KIIT. Earlier, on February 16, Nepali student, Prakriti Lamsal, 21, from Rupandehi, also died at the same institute from the alleged suicide.    

Responding to this, NA Chairperson Narayan Prasad Dahal has urged the government to investigate the repeated incidents involving death of Nepali students at KIIT and ensure the facts are uncovered.