The Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) - a premiere institution in Odisha - has been stinging since protests erupted on its campus after a Nepali student's death by suicide in her hostel room. The issue further escalated after KIIT was accused of evicting a group of Nepali students. What added fuel to the already raging fire was a video of staff members having a heated exchange with the students from Nepal.
In the viral video, a professor, identified as Manjusha Pandey, was heard saying, "We are feeding and teaching over 40,000 students for free." "That is equivalent to your country's budget," another woman staff, identified as Jayanti Nath, was heard shouting at Nepal students.
The KIIT staffers issued apology videos after their remarks triggered massive outrage on social media.
Ms Pandey said her statements on the night of February 16 were made "in the spur of the moment". "I want to communicate that whatever statements I made, are mine and have nothing to do with the KIIT university. If any of my statements have hurt the sentiments of any of my Nepali students or people of Nepal, I apologise for it sincerely," she said.
"I want to communicate that whatever statements I made, they are mine and have nothing to do with any of the KIIT university. If any of my statements have hurt the sentiments of any of my Nepali students or people of Nepal, I apologise for it sincerely (sic)," Ms Pandey said.
Another staffer seen in the video, Jayanti Nath, also apologised and said her "intention was never to offend or demean anyone. "I deeply regret if my words caused unintended hurt to anyone's sentiment. I want to emphasise that my words do not reflect the views of the university or any of the faculties. I am extremely sorry and apologetic for whatever has happened," Ms Nath said.
She, however, added the remarks were made in response to comments allegedly calling India and KIIT "corrupt and poor".
"My words were in response to statements made during the protest where my country and my institution were called corrupt and poor. In that heated exchange, my reply was made to defend against these remarks, not to demean Nepal or its people anywhere," she added.
KIIT also issued a public apology and said it has removed two of its officers from service for making "extremely irresponsible" statements. The institute, however, didn't name the officers. "KIIT has always been a home to students from across the world, fostering a culture of inclusivity, respect, and care. We deeply regret the recent incident and reaffirm our commitment to the safety, dignity, and well-being of all our students, including our dear Nepali students," it said in a post on X.
It also appealed to the Nepali students to join the regular academics with immediate effect.
The unrest on the college campus began on Sunday after 20-year-old Prakriti Lamsal, a third-year B Tech (computer science) student at the Bhubaneswar0based institute - died by suicide. In several social media videos, security personnel and staff of the university were seen abusing and using force against the students who were demanding justice for the woman.
Two security guards, identified as Ramakanta Nayak (45) and Jogendra Behera (25), have been arrested and a criminal case against them under Sections 126 (2) [wrongful restraint], 296 [obscene acts], 115 (2) [voluntarily causing hurt], and 3 (5) [joint criminal liability] of the BNS registered.
Some students claimed that they were evicted by the college. KIIT later clarified that the Nepali students were "advised to return to their respective places" after "some protestors continued to create disruptions, posing a challenge to law and order".
The protests also drew a reaction from Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli who said his government was "working on this matter through diplomatic channels".
The Indian Embassy in Nepal has promised students a thorough investigation into the matter.
The incident also sparked a political row in Odisha with Congress demanding a judicial inquiry into the matter and the arrest of KIIT founder Achyuta Samanta. The BJD said the incident was an outcome of the worsening law and order situation in BJP-ruled Odisha.
The Odisha government, meanwhile, has constituted a three-member high-level fact-finding team headed by the Additional Chief Secretary (Home).
