The five persons arrested in connection with the forcible eviction of Nepali students from hostels at Odisha’s Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology or KIIT, have got bail.
The arrested persons included Sibananda Mishra (59), Director General, HR, Pratap Kumar Chamupaty (51), Director (Administration), and Sudhir Kumar Rath (59), Director of Hostels, at KIIT University, and two security guards- Ramakanta Nayak (45), and Jogendra Behera (25).
The arrests came days after protests by Nepali students following the death of a Nepali student, Prakriti Lamsal.
Prakriti Lamsal. was found dead in her hostel room on February 16. Students claimed she was being harassed by a fellow student. As talks with the protesters failed, they were ordered to vacate the hostel.
Then men arrested allegedly came and tried to hurry them and in the process, manhandled some of the students.
There were also allegations that the students were dropped them at Cuttack railway station without any arrangements being made for their travel.
“The administration made extensive efforts, engaging in counselling and discussions for over 10 hours to manage the situation peacefully. However, despite their best attempts, some protestors were unwilling to listen to the university authorities and continued to create disruptions, posing a challenge to law and order. They also blocked the main road for hours, causing inconvenience and escalating tensions,” the institute later said.
Another student, Advik Srivastava, meanwhile has been arrested and accused of abeting Lamsal’s suicide. The third year BTech student is in judicial custody.
The Odisha government has set up a high-level fact-finding committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death.