KIIT suicide row: Appealed to students to return to University, says police

Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissioner Suresh Dev Datta Singh said that normalcy has persisted in the KIIT college campus as classes continue, while also appealing to the Nepali students who had left the campus to come back.

He revealed that the Police had registered a case under abetment, harassment, and leading to suicide.

"There is normalcy here. Classes are going on. We held discussions with students from Nepal. Those who have left have been appealed to return. The Nepal delegation is also in touch with them, and in due course, they will come back," the Commissioner told reporters.

The accused was arrested a few days ago, and the police have sought a 3-day remand of the person.

"A case of suicide was reported to us and the named person has been arrested and is in judicial custody. We sought a 3-day remand... The case has been registered under abetment, harassment, and leading to suicide," he said.

Earlier, Additional Chief Secretary Satyabrata Sahu also mentioned that officials had held talks with the Nepali delegation.

"As per the direction of the state government, we visited the university campus, including the hostel, and we are visiting other areas also. We'll submit our report appropriately to the government. We have also met the Nepal delegation and held discussions with them. The state government is fully committed to take action as per law," Additional CS Sahu told reporters.

On February 16, the third-year BTech student was found dead in her hostel room, following which Nepali students staged a protest claiming that she was harassed by her fellow student and the college didn't act despite multiple complaints.

An accused student, identified by police as Advik Srivastava, was arrested on February 17 and sent to judicial custody on the same day, as per the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissionerate.

The Odisha government's Higher Education Department opened a 24X7 dedicated helpdesk for the students of KIIT University and issued helpline numbers to ensure the safety and security of students affected by the incident.

"The Government in Higher Education Department has taken serious note of the recent unfortunate incident at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), a Deemed to be University, at Bhubaneswar, Odisha, a private institution, concerning the tragic death of a student and subsequent actions by the institution," the government order said.