KIIT University protests: Youth congress burns Achyuta Samanta’s effigies, stages sit-in

Members of the youth and student wings of the Indian National Congress intensified their protests on Saturday, demanding the arrest of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University founder Achyuta Samanta following the death of Prakriti Lamsal, an international student of the institute from Nepal.

Several agitating members belonging to the Indian Youth Congress and National Students' Union of India (NSUI) staged a sit-in and burnt effigies of Samanta, who is also a former Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP.

Why is the Youth Congress protesting?

Chanting slogans against the KIIT administration, the protestors levelled several allegations against Achyuta Samanta, including claims of land grabbing, and also questioned the government on the reason why he had not been arrested yet.

“An innocent girl lost her life because of the negligence of KIIT authorities. Further, when students rightly protested against them, they were beaten up and sent packing to different railway stations of the state, which is gross injustice,” said a Youth Congress member.

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Incidentally, at around noon today, the protest turned tense as demonstrators clashed with the police during their agitation in front of the KIIT campus, while carrying out a mass rally.

The protests stem from accusations from students alleging that the International Relations Office (IRO) of KIIT University did not pay heed to Prakriti Lamsal when she sought help regarding alleged blackmail and harassment by her ex-boyfriend, Advik Srivastava. As a result, she allegedly took her life in the university’s hostels over extreme mental burden.

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Police response to ongoing protests:

Meanwhile, a large police force has been deployed at the university to maintain law and order in view of the escalating situation and large-scale protests. Additionally, a high-level committee of the state government summoned Achyuta Samanta and interrogated him.