Tue Feb 18 14:34:35 UTC 2025: ## Odisha Government Intervenes After Nepali Students Expelled from KIIT University Following Student Death

**Bhubaneswar, Odisha, February 18, 2025** – The Odisha government has launched an investigation and taken action following the expulsion of hundreds of Nepali students from the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) university in Bhubaneswar. The incident followed the alleged suicide of a Nepali female student and sparked outrage both in Odisha and Nepal.

The government, led by Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, has directed KIIT to locate and provide counselling to the displaced Nepali students, many of whom were reportedly left at Cuttack Railway Station without train tickets. A high-level committee, headed by the Home Secretary, will investigate the circumstances surrounding the student’s death, the alleged mistreatment of Nepali students by university authorities, and the reasons behind the targeted expulsion.

State Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj expressed concern over the university’s actions, questioning why the Higher Education Department was not consulted before the mass expulsion and why Nepali students were specifically targeted. He confirmed that KIIT has suspended some officials for their “high-handedness.” By Tuesday evening, approximately 100 students had returned to campus, while hundreds more remained scattered across Odisha and beyond.

KIIT, while issuing an apology and claiming to love its students, has faced strong criticism for its actions, particularly a statement boasting that the university’s spending on student welfare exceeded Nepal’s national budget. This remark further inflamed tensions.

Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli dispatched two embassy officials to Odisha to address the situation. The father of the deceased student appealed for justice, stating that no other parents should suffer the same loss. The incident has triggered significant uproar in the Odisha Assembly, with members demanding the arrest of KIIT founder Achyut Samant and disciplinary action against the institution. The investigation is ongoing.

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