Bhubaneswar: Odisha Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj said on Friday said that efforts are on to bring back the Nepali students and also assured them to bear the travel expenses of all the students returning back to their campuses at KIIT University in Bhubaneswar.
Speaking during the discussion on the adjournment motion moved by the legislators of the opposition Congress party on the issue, Suraj on Friday said in the Odisha Assembly that remedial classes will be organised for the students and, if required, the government will ensure the mid-semester examination gets postponed.
He also said that the government has promised to bear the travel expenses of the Nepali students returning to the campus.
The Higher Education Minister in his speech asserted that the government will take special care so that the students do not face the wrath of KIIT authorities in the future.
Suraj further added that notices have been issued to eight senior officials of KIIT University to appear in the first hearing of the high-level committee formed by the government to enquire into the matter.
Expressing dissatisfaction, Suraj said: “The actions taken by KIIT University were inhumane and completely unacceptable. The state government strongly condemns this incident and is committed to ensuring justice. Both the Chief Minister and the Central government have taken this matter very seriously and are in constant communication regarding the developments.”
He noted that the Nepali female student Prakriti Lamsal’s suicide was reported on the afternoon of February 16 leading to growing tension on the university campus.
He said that later, the KIIT University on February 17, instructed the Nepali students to vacate the campus immediately.
The Nepali students were also forcefully transported to the railway stations in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack by the university authorities.
The Higher Education Minister said that the state government promptly intervened and directed the KIIT authorities to withdraw the controversial notice.
Additionally, a high-level committee was formed under chairmanship of the Additional Chief Secretary (Home Department), with the Principal Secretaries of the Women & Child Development and Higher Education Departments as members, to thoroughly investigate the incident.
The Higher Education Minister stated that two senior officials from the Nepalese Embassy in India arrived in Bhubaneswar on February 18 and held detailed discussions with the students at the KIIT’s hostel to assess their well-being.
He further revealed that a high-level meeting was held in the presence of the Health Minister and Chief Secretary, where Nepalese officials were assured of all necessary support. Suraj said that he personally held discussions with the students over their grievances and assured full support.
The Minister asserted that following the telephonic discussions, Nepal’s Foreign Minister, Arzu Rana Deuba expressed her trust in the measures taken by the Odisha government through a social media post.
“The Higher Education Department has launched four 24×7 helpline numbers and a dedicated WhatsApp number from February 19, 2025. Efforts are being made to contact students who have already left the KIIT campus, urging them to return and reassuring them of their safety,” said the Higher Education Minister.
–IANS
