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Hindustan Times
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
UGC sets up a panel to probe KIIT suicides
NEW DELHI The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Friday constituted a fact-finding committee to investigate two consecutive student suicides at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University in Bhubaneswar, officials aware of the development said. The development comes in the wake of the death of a Nepalese student in her hostel room on Thursday, marking the second such incident in a span of three months. The higher education regulator said the panel will examine institutional policies, student welfare compliance, and mental health support systems and submit its report within 10 days. The panel will also recommend steps to 'strengthen student safety mechanisms and institutional accountability,' the officials said. Chaired by Nageshwar Rao, former vice chancellor of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), the committee includes Shashikala Wanjari (VC, NIEPA), HCS Rathore (former VC, Central University of South Bihar), and Sunita Siwach (UGC joint secretary) as coordinating officer. Odisha police said that they are exploring all angles of the incident before arriving at a conclusion. 'Though preliminary investigation suggests there might have been a love affair angle to the incident, we are yet to arrive at any conclusion. The student's parents along with her brother arrived in Bhubaneswar to take her body. We are yet to interrogate them. We have registered a case of unnatural death,' said the police officer. Meanwhile, Nepal's foreign minister Arzu Rana Deuba said his government has initiated diplomatic steps for a proper investigation into the student's death. 'The incident of a Nepali student studying at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology University in Odisha being found dead in her hostel room has left us deeply saddened. Discussions are ongoing with the Government of India and the Government of Odisha,' Deuba wrote on X. In a separate statement, Nepal's ambassador to India, Shankar Sharma, said that the embassy is closely coordinating with the external affairs ministry, Odisha government, the police and the university for a 'thorough investigation'.
Hindustan Times
02-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
UGC sets up fact-finding committee into student suicides at KIIT University
NEW DELHI: The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Friday constituted a fact-finding committee to investigate two consecutive student suicides at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University in Bhubaneswar on February 16 and May 1. The higher education regulator said the panel will examine institutional policies, student welfare compliance, and mental health support systems. It has been told to submit its report within 10 days, and recommend steps to 'strengthen student safety mechanisms and institutional accountability.' Nageshwar Rao, former vice chancellor of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), will head the committee that also includes Shashikala Wanjari (vice chancellor, NIEPA) and HCS Rathore (former VC, Central University of South Bihar). UGC joint secretary Sunita Siwach has been appointed as the coordinating officer. The committee was set up a day after a Nepali student was found dead in her hostel room at KIIT, the second such incident involving Nepali students at the institution within the last three months. The first-year BTech student's death on Thursday is under investigation by the Odisha Police. Her mobile phone and laptop have been sent for forensic analysis. The panel will assess academic pressures, grievance redressal mechanisms, mental health infrastructure, and on-ground implementation of safety protocols. A UGC order said the committee must 'conduct an on-site assessment to verify the actual implementation of student safety and well-being policies, beyond documented compliance.' It will also engage students, faculty, and staff to evaluate institutional culture and challenges. Key mandates include reviewing adherence to guidelines on student health, anti-harassment measures, and crisis intervention frameworks. Secretary Manish R. Joshi emphasised the committee's role in ensuring 'compliance with student welfare regulations,' according to the notice.
