Bhubaneswar: The issue of a Nepali student’s death and alleged harassment of protesting students from the neighbouring country at a city education institute found resonance in the assembly on Tuesday with a BJP MLA demanding the arrest of the university’s founder while the govt formed a three-member committee to probe the incident.
According to the information and public relations (I&PR) department, the committee will be headed by home department’s additional chief secretary Satyabrata Sahu and will have women and child development department secretary Shubha Sarma and higher education secretary Aravind Agrawal as its members.
“Reports of misconduct, including the use of force against students by private individuals, are being investigated, and those responsible shall be held accountable as per the law,” the I&PR department stated.
The developments coincided with the police arresting three university officers and two private security guards for allegedly assaulting Nepali students during their protest in the aftermath of the 20-year-old BTech student’s alleged suicide on Monday.
KIIT Deemed to be University also suspended three other officers and dismissed the two arrested security guards for their alleged misconduct and issued an apology over the entire incident.
“We are extremely appalled by the untoward incident that took place in our campus on the evening of February 16, 2025. We are also regretful of the way some of us behaved with the agitating students. We love our students and had never done any disservice to them,” a statement from KIIT read.
With Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli forced to step in on Monday and request New Delhi’s help to resolve the issue after students from the neighbouring country were directed to vacate the campus with immediate effect, the incident threatened to snowball into a diplomatic row.
In the assembly, BJD MLA Pratap Keshari Deb raised the issue on Tuesday and linked it to the state’s alleged lawlessness. Outside the assembly, BJD MLA Goutam Buddha Das said, “The incident exposed the state’s law and order problem. The govt failed to handle the sensitive issue for which it escalated, and Odisha was defamed globally.”
Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati called for a judicial investigation and threatened to sit on a dharna inside the assembly if the govt did not order one.
Defending the state’s law and order situation, BJP MLA Tankadhar Tripathy said, “Govt swiftly intervened in the issue following which the KIIT issued an apology to Nepali students.”
BJP MLA Babu Singh, meanwhile, told reporters outside the assembly, “We demand the arrest of KIIT founder Achyuta Samanta.” Samanta, a former BJD MP, could not be reached for his comment.
Police said three high-ranking officials of KIIT — Sibananda Mishra, Pratap Champati and Sudhir Rath — along with two security guards — Ramakanta Nayak and Jogendra Behera — were on Tuesday arrested for allegedly ill-treating the Nepali students during their demonstration on Monday.
“We are committed to ensure safety and security of all the students including those from Nepal. In case of any difficulty, the students can approach us 24×7 on 8280338301,” commissioner of police S Dev Datta Singh said.
The govt also reaffirmed its resolve to safeguard the safety, dignity and welfare of all students. “Odisha govt will take all necessary steps to ensure that justice is served swiftly and fairly,” the I&PR department stated.
Addressing the reported harassment and ‘forced eviction’ of Nepali students at the university’s campus, the department noted, “The govt of Odisha has taken immediate cognizance of the matter and taken steps to arrest security guards and suspend erring officials involved. The institution has been placed under notice, and appropriate legal and administrative action shall follow based on the findings of the high-level fact-finding committee.”