Bhubaneswar (Odisha): Priyank Kanoongo, a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), announced that a senior team of NHRC officials will be visiting Bhubaneswar on Thursday to investigate the death of a Nepalese student and the alleged abuse of students protesting at KIIT University. Kanoongo shared the news on X, stating, “A team of very senior officials of @India_NHRC will reach Bhubaneswar today to investigate the incident of the death of a Nepali student and the alleged brutality against agitating students in a private university.”
The NHRC launched an inquiry on March 4 into the death of the Nepalese student at KIIT University following claims of assault on protesting students. Kanoongo confirmed that a team has been assigned to look into the matter and will submit its report by March 10.
Speaking to ANI, Kanoongo explained that the NHRC had received a complaint from the Kalinga Rights Forum, which stated that the student from Nepal had allegedly died by suicide, though the exact cause is still under investigation. The complaint also mentioned that Nepalese students, angered by the incident, were allegedly beaten during their protests. Kanoongo stated that the team would visit the university and conduct a probe, with the report to be submitted by March 10.
The third-year B.Tech student was found dead in her hostel room on February 16. Following her death, Nepalese students staged protests, accusing a fellow student of harassment and claiming that the university had not acted on multiple complaints. In response, Nepal’s NHRC has formally requested the Indian NHRC to investigate the case, including the mistreatment of Nepalese students. Shyam Babu Kafle, a spokesperson for Nepal’s NHRC, confirmed that a letter was sent to the Indian commission urging a swift investigation into the incident.
