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Nepal Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba in a telephonic conversation with Odisha's Higher Education Minister Surjya Narayan Patro, urged him to act against those involved in the death of Nepali student Prakriti Lamsal.
"Today, I also spoke to Odisha's Higher Education Minister Suryavanshi Suraj on the phone. I urged him to conduct a fair investigation into Lamsal's death and take legal action against the culprits, as well as to provide a safe environment for Nepali students in colleges there. He informed me that the state of Odisha has taken this incident seriously and a high-level investigation committee has been formed to bring Prakriti to justice and take action against the culprits," Deuba stated in a post on X. https://x.com/Arzuranadeuba/status/1892161498526699545 She also urged Patro to ensure a safe learning environment for Nepali students at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneshwar. In response, Patro assured that the Odisha government is taking the case seriously and has formed a high-level investigation committee to deliver justice for the deceased. "He also informed that a separate hotline has been arranged for Nepali students and their parents to get necessary advice and arrangements have been made for Nepali students who have gone home to return to their hostels for further studies. He also informed that the employees who misbehaved with students in the college have been dismissed and legal action has been taken," she stated further. "During the conversation, Minister Suraj said that the important relations with Nepal will be maintained as harmoniously as they are now in the coming days. In this regard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi are working with the necessary coordination in contact with the university administration and Indian security officials," Nepali foreign minister stated. On February 16, the third-year BTech student was found dead in her hostel room, following which Nepali students staged a protest claiming that she was harassed by her fellow student and the college didn't act despite multiple complaints. An accused student, identified by police as Advik Srivastava, was arrested on February 17 and sent to judicial custody on the same day, as per a press statement by Police Commissionerate, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack. Following the death, students, particularly of Nepali origin, took to the streets demanding arrest of the boy responsible for abusing the girl leading to her suicide. On December 17, more than 500 Nepali students enrolled in the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) were forced to leave the campus in Bhubaneswar. The private institution in the state of Odisha, announced sine-die for all Nepali students sending bus-loads of Nepali students at Cuttack Railway Station, 30km from the institute. Later in the evening, the institution retracted its decision and called back the students. (ANI)
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