5 arrested over KIIT protest after Nepali student's death get bail

The arrested individuals included Sibananda Mishra (59), Director General, HR, Pratap Kumar Chamupaty (51), Director (Administration), and Sudhir Kumar Rath (59), Director of Hostels, at KIIT University, and two security guards- Ramakanta Nayak (45), and Jogendra Behera (25).

The arrests came days after a protest erupted on the campus premises by Nepali students following the death of Prakriti Lamsal.

The KIIT suspended three employees, including two hostel staffers, for allegedly misbehaving with Nepali students and evicting them from the campus during the recent protests over the death of Lamsal, who hailed from Nepal.

The institute informed two security staffers were also fired from their service.

The private university's Vice Chancellor Prof Saranjit Singh, meanwhile, apologised for the manner in which the students were handled by authorities.

He urged Nepali students to join classes immediately.

What happened on Sunday?

A third-year Btech student from Nepal, who was identified as Prakriti Lamsal, was found dead in her hostel room on Sunday, triggering massive protests by Nepali students present on the campus.

Tension escalated further when university authorities tried to forcibly evict some of the protesting students.

The student alleged that Lamsal had complained about the harassment she faced from her batchmate.

Police have reportedly detained one of her batchmates.