KIIT's unlawful acts led to suicides: UGC panel

Time of India

2 days ago

NEW DELHI: The fact-finding committee constituted by the University Grants Commission (UGC) has held KIIT Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, responsible for the suicide of two students earlier this year, stating that "illegal and unlawful activity by the university" led to one of the deaths and that the administration's actions "amount to criminal liability.
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Along with these findings, the committee has issued a set of strong recommendations, based on which the commission is contemplating a freeze on the university's expansion and departmental action against erring officials, among others. The UGC committee, chaired by Professor Nageshwar Rao, submitted its report on May 20, 2025, after campus visits, stakeholder interactions, and detailed analysis.
The report cited the university's failure to act lawfully on sexual harassment complaints, inadequate hostel facilities, excessive student intake, and use of brute force on students as key failings contributing to the incidents.
The committee's observations and findings include serious lapses in infrastructure and governance. It found that hostel facilities were "substandard" with "three students put in a small room" and female international students accommodated without cultural considerations. It also noted that complaints of sexual harassment were ignored or illegally compromised, that the administration forcibly removed Nepalese students without support, and that security personnel used physical aggression against students.
The university, it said, prioritised its "reputation of university over regulations, law of land and international relations of the country."
Observing that members of the internal complaints committee (ICC) and senior administrative personnel of the university "are liable for criminal punishment as per law", the report stated, "... university's internal complaints committee (ICC) failed to take lawful action in reported sexual harassment cases.
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There was no transparency that protocols for investigation were followed. The girl had made complaints to the administration twice much before this tragic incident.
In both the complaints, they decided to go for illegal compromise... The university has the power to punish the boy even when the first complaint was lodged. Instead of punishment, they favoured the boy by pushing forced illegal compromise with the girl.
Later on, this has led to suicide. This suicide case could have been averted."
On Feb 16, Prakriti Lamsal, a third-year BTech student from Nepal, was found dead in her hostel room. The report also called for departmental action against ICC members who acted in violation of rules. "Had KIIT University taken action to decide the reported harassment case as per law in the first case, the tragedy could have been avoided," the report stated.
On May 2, another Nepalese undergraduate student was found dead in her hostel room at KIIT.