Fri Mar 21 10:49:50 UTC 2025: ## KIIT University Student’s Death: Sexual Harassment Complaint Filed Before Suicide
**Bhubaneswar, Odisha – March 21, 2025** – The death of a Nepalese engineering student at KIIT University in February has sparked outrage and ongoing investigations. Odisha’s Higher Education Minister, Suryabanshi Suraj, revealed in the state assembly today that the 20-year-old student had filed a sexual harassment complaint with the university authorities on March 12, 2024 – eleven months before her death by suicide.
Her body was discovered in her hostel room on February 16th. Police believe she took her own life due to inaction on her complaint. Following her death, protests erupted on the KIIT campus, resulting in students being evicted and dropped off at a railway station without tickets. One student was subsequently arrested for allegedly abetting suicide.
Minister Suraj stated that a high-level committee is investigating the student’s death and the subsequent handling of protests. Nineteen individuals have already given statements to the committee. KIIT University has also submitted documentation regarding its internal committee formed in accordance with University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines. The Minister confirmed that no grants were provided to KIIT by the Higher Education Department in the last financial year. Further inquiries are underway regarding the employment of retired government officials at KIIT.
The incident has raised serious concerns about the handling of sexual harassment complaints within educational institutions and the treatment of protesting students. The ongoing investigations are expected to shed more light on the circumstances surrounding the student’s death and the university’s response.
First Piper 