Nepali student death issue raised in Parliament, MEA says appropriate action will be taken against KIIT University

The suspicious death of a Nepali girl student at KIIT University in Bhubaneshwar prompted calls for legal and administrative action, Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh has said in the Lok Sabha.

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“Government of India was deeply saddened at the tragic death of a Nepali girl student at KIIT University in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on 16 February 2025. Following the reports of unrest on campus and closure of the varsity sine die for all Nepali students, the Ministry of External Affairs liaised with the Odisha Government, KIIT, as well as Nepali authorities to ensure corrective action and to prevent any escalation of the situation,” a written reply by MoS Singh in the Parliament stated.

Assertions by MEA in Parliament

“The State government has constituted a high-level Fact Finding Committee, and appropriate legal and administrative action will be taken against KIIT University based on the findings of the Committee,” the MoS said in his reply.

“Foreign students studying in India form an important facet of India’s people-to-people links with other countries. The Government of India will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety, dignity, and well-being of all foreign students in the country,” Singh asserted.

Odisha government is awaiting a report from the high-level fact-finding committee that is investigating the incident.

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The student, enrolled in B.Tech programme, had died under mysterious circumstances in her hostel room on February 16 (Sunday). 
A committee, led by Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Satyabrata Sahu, has been tasked with examining the circumstances surrounding the incident.