India Nepal Ties

China asks Nepal to join its new international mediation organisation

China has asked Nepal to join the newly formed International Organisation for Mediation as Beijing wants more countries, besides Pakistan, from the South Asian region to join the initiative formed to further its global influence. The International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed) was launched on Friday in Hong Kong. State-run Xinhua news agency reported that 33 countries signed the convention on-site, making them the founding members of the IOMed. However, the full member list is not yet released. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi who launched the initiative met his Nepali counterpart Arzu Rana Deuba on the sidelines of the ceremony in Hong Kong on Friday and expressed hope that Nepal will join IOMed at an early date, an official press release said here. Deuba attended the IOMed inaugural event but apparently Nepal has not signed up to join it. We discussed various aspects of Nepal-China bilateral ties, including high-level exchanges and development cooperation, Deuba said in a p

Mountain Dialogue: India, Nepal pledge deeper climate, biodiversity ties

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav met Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli to discuss cooperation on clean energy, biodiversity, and climate action during the Sagarmatha Sambaad in Kathmandu

Deeply saddened: New Delhi on death of Nepalese student at Odisha's KIIT

The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday said it is "deeply saddened" over the death of a Nepalese student of the KIIT University in Bhubaneswar. The ministry said it has been in constant touch with the Odisha government since it knew about the "tragic incident". The body of the 18-year-old B. Tech computer science student from Nepal was recovered from her hostel room at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) on Thursday evening, police said. The state government has extended full support to the family of the deceased, and a thorough enquiry is currently being conducted by the Odisha police, it said. "We are deeply saddened by the tragic demise of a Nepali student of KIIT University, Bhubaneswar," the MEA said. "We extend our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family during this difficult time," it added in a statement. This is the second such case at the institute this year. Prakriti Lamsal, another Nepalese student, died by suicide on February 16.

Nepal launches diplomatic efforts to probe death of another student at KIIT

Nepal has launched diplomatic initiatives to probe the death of an 18-year-old student from the Himalayan nation at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha's Bhubaneswar, hours after she was found hanging from the ceiling fan of her hostel room. The incident comes barely two-and-a-half months after Prakriti Lamsal, another Nepalese student of the same institute, died by suicide on February 16. The incident of Prisa Sah, a Nepali student studying at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University in Odisha, India, being found dead in her hostel room has left us deeply saddened. I pray for the eternal peace of Prisa's soul and express my deepest condolences to her family at this sad hour, Nepal's Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba said in a post on X. Immediately after the incident, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs initiated diplomatic initiatives to investigate the truth of the incident through high-ranking officials of the Government of India, the .

Another Nepalese student found dead in hostel room on KIIT campus in Odisha

A 20-year-old Nepalese student of the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha's Bhubaneswar was found hanging from the ceiling fan of her hostel room on Thursday, police said. The incident comes barely two and a half months following the suicide of Prakriti Lamsal, another Nepalese student of the same institute on February 16, 2025. The body of the B Tech student was recovered from room number 111 of the ladies' hostel of the institute, a senior officer said. She was a student of Computer Science and pursuing her B.Tech, he said, adding that her identity is yet to be ascertained. Yes, the body of a girl from Nepal has been recovered. It seems that she has committed suicide at the ladies' hostel of KIIT, Police Commissioner S. Dev Datta Singh told PTI. There was no comment from the KIIT authorities on the death of the Nepalese student.

SBI ties up with Land Ports Authority for banking services in 26 locations

State Bank of India (SBI) on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) to strengthen banking services infrastructure across 26 land ports bordering neighbouring countries. LPAI currently operates 15 land ports across 8 border states adjoining Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Myanmar, with 11 more ports sanctioned across states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Mizoram, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal. These land ports are handling trade volumes of Rs 70,952 crore, and total passenger movement through these transit points stood at 30.46 lakh as on 2023-24. Over a decade, the ports witnessed a 15-fold rise in trade and an 18-fold increase in passenger movement. Land ports currently handle Rs 71,000 crore in forex trade, and nearly 31 lakh people cross borders through these land ports annually. These land ports are going to play a very pivotal role in international trade, and SBI's presence at these sites will not only contribute towards .

UP govt takes action against illegal encroachments along India-Nepal border

Action was taken against 89 illegal encroachers in Bahraich and 119 illegal constructions in Shravasti

At least 25 Indian tourists injured in Nepal bus accident, 3 critical

At least 25 Indian tourists were injured when the bus ferrying them to Nepal's Pokhara met with an accident in the neighbouring country's Dang district, police said on Saturday. The police said 19 tourists were admitted to the community health centre in Tulsipur in this Uttar Pradesh's district, which shares a border with Nepal. Three of the injured are in critical condition and are undergoing treatment in a Nepal hospital. The accident on Friday is suspected to have been caused by a brake failure. Most of the injured are from Lucknow, Sitapur, Hardoi and Barabanki districts of Uttar Pradesh, the police said. Receiving information about the accident, police from Nepal's Gadhawa reached the spot and admitted the injured to a local health centre from where 19 people were brought to Tulsipur. Circle Officer (Tulsipur) Brijnandan Rai confirmed that 19 Indians were undergoing treatment at the local community health centre. He added some of the injured were discharged after first aid w

India, Nepal to boost border infra, data sharing to curb smuggling

Recognising that effective border management is important in fight against smuggling, discussions also included upgrade of border infrastructure and automation and digitisation of transit processes

India, Nepal ink 10 MoUs worth NRs 625 million for development projects

India and Nepal have signed 10 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) for high-impact community development projects in the Himalayan nation to be funded by Indian assistance amounting to NRs 625 million, according to an official release. The agreements were signed on Tuesday for development in the education, health, and culture sectors, the Indian embassy here said in a press release. "These High Impact Community Development Projects #HICDP are being built with (the) Government of India's financial assistance at a total cost of NRs 625.00 million in Education, Health and Culture Sectors under Nepal-India Development Cooperation'," the embassy said in a post on X. It added that implementing these projects will "help provide better educational, healthcare and cultural facilities to the people of Nepal." The projects undertaken include the construction of three schools, one monastery, one e-library at a school, and two health post buildings. With this, India has taken up over 573 HICDP

Former King Gyanendra Shah responsible for recent violence: Nepal's PM Oli

Nepal's Prime Minister K P Oli on Monday held former king Gyanendra Shah responsible for last week's violence here and said the guilty would not be let off. Addressing the House of Representatives, the prime minister demanded the former king to make public his views about the violent protests organised by monarchy supporters here in the Tinkune area on Friday. "Former king Gyanendra Shah was also responsible for the Tinkune incident," Oli said, expressing determination that "strict action would be taken against all those involved in the incident, irrespective of their cover". Two persons, including a photojournalist, were killed and more than 110 others were injured during the violent protest. So far, 110 people have been arrested in connection with the violent protests. "All these incidents make it clear that the former king has violated the agreement reached after the historic decision of the Constituent Assembly," he said. "The agreement said the former king would live a peace

Nepal student death in KIIT: NHRC seeks report from Odisha govt, UGC, NAAC

Finding gross negligence on the part of the authorities over the suicide of a 20-year-old B.Tech student from Nepal at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) here, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought an action taken report from the Odisha government, UGC and NAAC within four weeks. The NHRC, which had sent a team to undertake an on-the-spot probe into the death of Nepalese student Prakriti Lamsal, on March 27 uploaded the case status on its website and stated that the rights panel has sought a report from Odisha's chief secretary, collector and district magistrate of Khurda district, commissioner of police, and chairpersons of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). The Nepalese woman's body was recovered from her hostel room on the KIIT campus on February 16 following which tension mounted and students from the Himalayan nation were assaulted and forcibly evicted after they staged protests. The .

Pro-monarchists to intensify agitation to reinstate monarchy in Nepal

Pro-monarchists in Nepal on Thursday announced to intensify their agitation by organising a protest rally on Friday with the aim of reinstatement of monarchy. Holding a press conference here, they also announced forming a Joint People's Movement Committee led by Navaraj Subedi, an 87-year-old staunch supporter of former King Gyanendra. The pro-monarchists said they will organise a grand protest rally at Tinkune area near the Tribhuvan International Airport demanding restoration of monarchy. Nepal's political parties through a Parliament declaration abolished the 240-year-old monarchy in 2008 and turned the erstwhile Hindu kingdom to a secular, federal, democratic republic. On Friday, the Socialist Forum, a four-party alliance, is also organising a demonstration in favour of republic system at Bhrikutimandap area of Kathmandu to counter the pro-monarchists. CPN-Maoist Centre, CPN-Unified Socialist among others are joining the demonstration with the aim of strengthening republic sys

1,000 students from Nepal returned to campus amid NHRC probe: KIIT

Amid the probe by the NHRC and Odisha Police into the alleged suicidal death of a B Tech girl student, KIIT University has claimed that 1,000 of the 1,100 Nepalese students who left the campus in the wake of the February 16 unrest have returned to the institute in Bhubaneswar. The private university made this claim on Friday after Odisha's Higher Education Minister, Suryabanshi Suraj, informed the Assembly that the state government formed a professor committee to ensure a proper academic environment on the KIIT campus. "As many as 1,000 Nepalese students out of 1,100 have returned to KIIT-DU to resume their academic pursuits after temporarily leaving the campus in the wake of the February 16 incident. The remaining 100 students are on their way and will be arriving soon," the KIIT said in a statement, adding that the students' return demonstrates the strong ties between the institute and its international student community, particularly from Nepal. The Nepalese students were alleged

KIIT suicide: More university officials records statements before committee

Around half a dozen senior KIIT officials on Thursday appeared before the Odisha government's high-level committee probing the death allegedly by suicide of a 20-year-old Nepalese B Tech student Prakriti Lamsal and the subsequent unrest on the campus. The Higher Education department had summoned the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology's (KIIT) chief proctor P K Patnaik, director Sanhita Mishra, Internal Committee chief Ipsita Satpathy, assistant director Smarika Pati and others to appear before the high-level committee. The three-member committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Satyabrata Sahu, heard the views of the KIIT officials and inquired about whether the deceased foreign student (Nepalese girl) had made any complaint of harassment before the private varsity's International Relations Office (IRO) as alleged by other Nepalese students. Earlier, on February 21, KIIT founder Achyuta Samanta and seven other top officials of the varsity had appeared before the .

KIIT row: Nepal human rights panel asks India counterpart to ensure justice

The National Human Rights Commission of Nepal has urged its Indian counterpart to investigate the unnatural death of a 20-year-old student at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) here and ensure justice for her. The alleged death by suicide of B Tech student Prakriti Lamsal and the subsequent attack on protesting Nepalese pupils at KIIT and their eviction from the campus created a furore, prompting the Nepal government to intervene in the matter. Nepal NHRC, in a press release, said it has written to the National Human Rights Commission of India requesting it to probe the suspicious death of the woman, who hailed from Kathmandu, and provide speedy justice to the students who were allegedly beaten up and mistreated at KIIT. It urged India's NHRC to ensure security for the Nepalese students and ensure that they can study in a fear-free environment, besides bringing the university officials and individuals involved in the incident to book. Based on the complaints received

Odisha govt vows to take action against those involved in KIIT case

The Odisha government on Saturday said all those responsible for the death of a Nepalese student of a private engineering institute KIIT and the alleged assault on the pupils from the Himalayan country would not be spared. Congress activists also held a demonstration, demanding the immediate arrest of KIIT founder Achyuta Samanta. A large number of youth and student activists of Congress staged the protest before the main gate of the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) and burnt effigy of Samanta. A scuffle broke out between the security personnel and the agitators when Congress workers attempted to barge into the KIIT campus. The Congress activists held the demonstration a day after the party MLAs in the assembly demanded a judicial inquiry into the death of a 20-year-old Nepalese student and subsequently, the alleged attack on pupils from the neighbouring country. Odisha's Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj, however, said that the state government was ...

159 students of Odisha univ return to Nepal, claim were treated 'inhumanly'

Days after a Nepalese female student allegedly died by suicide at an Odisha university and the college administration ordered Nepali students to vacate the hostel, 159 students have returned to the country via Raxaul border, an official has said. Assistant Chief District Officer, Parsa, Suman Kumar Karki said that 159 Nepali students arrived home from the Raxaul border point till Thursday evening. Prakriti Lamsal, 20, a third-year B Tech (Computer Science) student at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha, allegedly died by suicide at her hostel room on February 16, leading to unrest on the campus. There are around 1,000 Nepalese students studying in KIIT, Odisha. Speaking to media at Reporters' Club in Kathmandu, a group of students who returned to Nepal said that they were subjected to inhuman treatment at the KIIT after the death of the Nepalese female student in the college hostel. After the mysterious death of Prakriti Lamsal, we were abused and got inhum

KIIT issue: Unhappy with reply, BJD, Cong stage walkout in Odisha Assembly

The opposition BJD and Congress on Friday staged a walkout in the Odisha Assembly expressing dissatisfaction with the state Higher Education minister Suryabanshi Suraj's reply to the debate on the KIIT issue. Members cutting across party lines expressed disappointment with what happened at KIIT after the death of a Nepalese student in her hostel room. The BJD and Congress demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter but the state government did not respond to their request. The minister said law will take its course and whoever is guilty will be punished. The unrest in KIIT began after the alleged suicide of 20-year-old Prakriti Lamsal, a student from Nepal, on Sunday afternoon. Other Nepalese students staged agitation and demanded justice. However, the KIIT authorities issued suspension notices to about 1,000 Nepalese students and asked them to leave the campus on Monday. Following the intervention of the Centre and the state government, the KIIT authorities had tendered an apolog

Nepali students have started returning to campus: KIIT additional registrar

Odisha government's Director of Higher Education said that the High-Level Committee has decided to conduct an inquiry into the alleged suicide of a student