Bajrang Dal men protest outside KIIT campus amid heavy security, burn founder Achyuta Samanta’s effigy

Tensions have been high in the campus since the death of a third-year BTech computer science student Prakriti Lamsa, who allegedly died by suicide.

Protests by Bajrang Dal members on KIIT campus | Photo: Shubhangi Mishra, ThePrint

Bhubaneswar: A group of around 50 Bajrang Dal members staged a protest at the gates of the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) campus Thursday night, carrying placards that read, “Shame on KIIT University for defaming Bharat” and chanting “Jai Siya Ram”.

Amid tight security—with Odisha Police personnel and Swift Action Force jawans stationed outside the gates—the Bajrang Dal men demanded the immediate arrest of Achyuta Samanta, the founder of the institute and a former MP, and burned his effigy at the campus entrance.

Bajrang Dal has accused Samanta of ‘defaming’ India over a viral video showing two KIIT staff members reprimanding Nepalese students on campus. In the video, the staff can be heard claiming that KIIT’s annual budget for educating 40,000 students for free exceeds Nepal’s GDP.

Students said that they felt unsafe on campus, with many commenting that the police there was “a joke”.

Responding to a query by ThePrint, Bhubaneswar Deputy Commissioner of Police Pinak Mishra confirmed that Bajrang Dal members did not enter the campus. “They were stopped at the entrance,” he said.

Protests by Bajrang Dal members on KIIT campus | Photo: Shubhangi Mishra, ThePrint

Tensions have been high in the campus since the death of a third-year BTech computer science student Prakriti Lamsa.

Lamsa, a Nepalese national, allegedly died by suicide on 16 February, triggering protests on campus. The following day, Nepalese students were asked to leave and were reportedly forced out of their hostel rooms by college authorities.

“The girl (Prakriti) deserves justice. What has happened at KIIT has spoiled our relationship with Nepal. Achutya Samanta is responsible for not providing security to international students,” Himansu Bhusan Das, a member of Bajrang Dal and former state security head told ThePrint.

Diplomatic action

Students claim they were abruptly dropped off at various train stations and bus stops across the city, with no time to pack or prepare for their journey home.

The incident sparked diplomatic action from Nepal, with Nepalese parliamentarians condemning the treatment of their students as an insult to the people of Nepal.

Meanwhile, Achyuta Samanta, after he was summoned to appear before the Odisha government’s high-level committee probing the matter, has been visiting hostels, urging students to return to classes.

The university officials are also in touch with Nepalese students who have left the campus and are being urged to return to campus. The authorities have organised video calls with parents, assuring them of the safety of their pupils.

But students tell ThePrint that they are too afraid to come back to the campus. “On a video call they tell us that our kids’ education will suffer, but right now I don’t want to send him back,” said a parent of a Nepalese student who is in second year of BTech (Computer Science).

KIIT has since apologised for the notice debarring Nepalese students.

A Nepalese student currently on the KIIT campus estimates that 30-40 fourth-year students remain, along with 15 third-year students, while only 4-5 first- and second-year students are still in Odisha.

“Everyone else is too scared to come back,” he told ThePrint over the phone.

Five people have been arrested in connection with the assault on the Nepalese student and are currently out on bail.

Meanwhile, the deceased student’s alleged boyfriend, Advik Srivastava, has been arrested for abetment to suicide and remains in judicial custody.

(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)