BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday assured justice for the Nepali girl student of KIIT who allegedly died by suicide after being harassed by another student.
The CM, who is in New Delhi, discussed the case with Nepali officials Sanjeeb Das Sharma and Navin Das Adhikari and said the state government is working to ensure that justice will be done. He also assured that peace and normalcy will be restored on the KIIT campus. He urged the Nepali students to return to the campus and resume their studies.
Besides, foreign minister of Nepal Arzu Rana Deuba also spoke with minister of state for higher education Suryabanshi Suraj about the incident over the phone. The minister told mediapersons that he informed Deuba about the steps taken by the state government in this case so far. He said Deuba expressed his satisfaction over the steps taken by the state government.
The minister said that a high level meeting was also held with officials from the Nepal government who have reached here in connection with the case. Suraj said besides him, the meeting was attended by parliamentary affairs minister Mukesh Mahaling and chief secretary Manoj Ahuja.
Suraj said the state government has decided to set up a help desk to assist Nepali students who have returned to the KIIT campus or are going to return to the campus. The minister said the help desk is being set up to give confidence to the Nepali students. Steps are also being taken to ensure that there is a conducive atmosphere in the KIIT campus so that the students can concentrate on studies for their examination on February 28, he said, adding that the government has taken the matter very seriously.
In a post on X, Deuba said, the Nepal government is following up on the death of the girl student in the hostel of KIIT and the evolving situation. She spoke to Suraj and urged him to conduct a fair investigation into the death of the student and take legal action against the culprits. She also requested the minister to provide a safe environment for students from her country.
Deuba also said the minister informed her that the Odisha government has taken the incident very seriously and a high-level committee has been formed to give justice to the deceased girl student and take action against the culprits.
“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 those who have gone home to return to their hostels for further studies,” she added.
She said the minister assured that harmonious relations between Nepal and Odisha will be maintained. India’s ministry of External Affairs and the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi are working in coordination with the university administration and Indian security officials in this case.
Meanwhile, the three-member official fact-finding committee headed by additional chief secretary has fixed the modalities for the investigation into the case. The minister said that the team members will also visit the KIIT campus in this connection. ABVP activists demonstrated at the PMG square here demanding justice for the deceased girl student. They also demanded an independent inquiry into the misbehaviour with students by the KIIT authorities.
