Tragedy or Planned Murder ?
KIIT Student Suicide : The sudden and heartbreaking loss of Prakriti Lamsal, a young and promising third-year B-Tech student at KIIT, has left her friends, family, and the entire student community in shock. Prakriti, a Nepalese national, was found dead in her hostel room, allegedly driven to suicide due to blackmail by a fellow student. The tragedy has sparked outrage, with Nepalese students leading protests, demanding justice for their friend. As investigations unfold, police have detained the accused and are analyzing electronic evidence. Meanwhile, the campus remains tense, with increased security and students voicing concerns about their safety and freedom.
What happened at KIIT on 16th Feb Night?
PTI reports that officials stated on Monday that a third-year B-Tech student at a private engineering college here took her life in her hostel, creating tension on the campus. The deceased was Nepalese national Prakriti Lamsal. She was a third-year B-Tech student at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), according to the varsity registrar.
The relative of the deceased informed that his sister had hung herself in her hostel room on Sunday to the Infocity police station in Bhubaneswar. He opined that his sister had taken her own life due to blackmail by another male varsity student.
“A third-year Nepali B-Tech student took his own life in the hostel yesterday,” KIIT released in a statement. The student is suspected of having an affair with another KIIT student. It is presumed that the student might have committed suicide for some unknown reason. The KIIT says the police were informed of the incident immediately.
“We have registered a case at the Infocity Police Station on the grounds of the complaint that a male student had abetted her suicide,” said Bhubaneswar DCP Pinak Mishra. The police are holding the accused student and interrogating him. The laptop, mobile phone, and other gadgets of the deceased woman have been seized by the police. We are conducting a scientific examination of the subject.”
There was a regrettable incident that took place late last night on the KIIT campus. The police investigated the incident immediately after the occurrence and arrested the perpetrator. The KIIT administration has gone all out to normalize the campus and hostels so that classes can resume. Based on the PTI report, Nepali students numbering in the scores came to the KIIT campus on Sunday evening, demonstrating to seek justice. The institute tweeted on X that all of our Nepali students who left or are intending to leave the campus should return and continue classes.
Two platoons of police personnel were deployed to keep the campus in order. As per ACP Prakash Chandra Pal, the police were maintaining law and order on and around campus. Quote a varsity official, “the police have locked the room of the deceased girl and held the body at the mortuary until her parents come.”Two busloads of students from Nepal arrived at the Cuttack Railway Station on Monday.They were dropped at the train station after being told to vacate the hostel room. A male student at the Cuttack railway station told reporters, “We had to sit for examination on February 28.”
Students from other states also alleged that they were prevented from exiting the university hostels by private security personnel.
Way Forward:
This devastating incident is a painful reminder of the struggles students can face behind closed doors—battling stress, fear, and, in some cases, harassment. Universities must do more than just react to such tragedies; they need to create a culture where students feel safe, heard, and protected. Stronger policies against harassment and blackmail, accessible mental health support, and a clear mechanism for students to report grievances without fear of retaliation are urgently needed. Most importantly, Prakriti’s story must not be forgotten—it should serve as a wake-up call for institutions to prioritize student well-being over institutional reputation. Only by fostering a compassionate and secure environment can we prevent another promising life from being lost too soon.
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