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KIIT has announced a scholarship in memory of Prakriti Lamsal, the Nepalese student who died on campus.
KIIT announces scholarship in memory of Prakriti Lamsal,(Image: KIIT)
The Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha has announced a scholarship in memory of Prakriti Lamsal, a 20-year-old student from Nepal who was found dead in her hostel room on February 16.
KIIT and KISS founder Achyuta Samanta announced on Wednesday after meeting Lamsal’s father and uncle to offer his condolences. “A scholarship would be instituted in Lamsal’s name as a tribute to her memory,” he said in a statement issued by the institute.
Senior officials from Nepal’s New Delhi Embassy also visited the campus on Wednesday to meet Nepalese students. They assured them that such incidents would not happen again. The statement also mentioned that KIIT is helping students who are yet to return home.
Samanta spoke with Nepal’s Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba and Minister for Water Supply, Pradeep Yadav, assuring them that KIIT is committed to the safety of all students.
Earlier on Wednesday, officials completed legal formalities, and Lamsal’s body was flown back to Nepal.
ALSO READ: ‘What Was Our Fault’: Nepali Students Fear Returning To KIIT After Student’s Death
What Happened With Prakriti Lamsal?
Prakriti, a third-year B.Tech (Computer Science) student, was found dead in her hostel room on Sunday afternoon. While police initially registered it as a suicide, the circumstances surrounding her death sparked protests on campus. Nepalese students demanded an inquiry and held the university administration accountable, alleging that Prakriti’s pleas for help were ignored.
She was reportedly subjected to physical and verbal abuse by Advik Shrivastava, a 21-year-old B.Tech (Mechanical) student from the same university. An audio clip that surfaced after her death features a man hurling abuses at a sobbing woman, forcing her to call herself a derogatory term and apologise. The voices in the clip appear to be those of Advik and Prakriti, though News18 has not independently verified it.
Advik, a resident of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, was arrested on Monday outside Bhubaneswar airport and charged with abetment of suicide.
