NHRC writes to Odisha DGP and Chief Secretary in matter related to KIIT Nepalese student suicide case
Earlier, National Human Rights Commission member Priyank Kanoongo said that the organisation has taken cognisance of the death of a Nepalese student at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar.
'In yesterday's (May 1) incident, we have taken cognisance, issued a notice, and sought a report from the DGP and the chief secretary, which is to be submitted within 7 days. We will take further action after the report comes... If needed, our team will go there,' Kanoongo told ANI.
Speaking on the previous incident where another girl student was found dead on the KIIT campus, Kanoongo said the university administration tried to suppress the issue.
'On March 27, we submitted a report - when we had this information of a Nepali girl committing suicide, our team went there and in the investigation, it came out that that student was sexually assaulted, pornographic content was filmed, and then she was blackmailed. When the girl complained to the college administration, instead of informing the police, the university administration tried to have a compromise and suppress the issue. Prima facie, the university administration was the culprit, so we asked the UGC to take strict action, as the environment was not conducive there,' he said.
In response to the tragedy, the University Grant Commission (UGC) has constituted a four-member fact-finding committee under the chairmanship of the Vice Chancellor of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Nageshwar Rao, to look into the recent alleged suicide deaths at KIIT.
The committee will examine the circumstances surrounding these incidents, ensure compliance with student welfare and safety regulations, and suggest measures to prevent such incidents.
The committee also includes Shashikala Wanjari, Vice-Chancellor of the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), and HCS Rathore, Former Vice Chancellor of Central University of South Bihar, Gaya, as a member and Sunita Siwach, Joint Secretary of UGC as the coordination officer, according to a statement from UGC on Friday.
Earlier in February, Prakriti Lamsal also died by suicide at the same university. (ANI)
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