Another student death at KISS in Bhubaneswar raises fresh questions on campus safety

The Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), founded by Achyuta Samanta, has once again come under scrutiny following the mysterious death of a Plus Two Arts student inside its hostel campus in Bhubaneswar on Friday.

According to preliminary reports, the student, who hailed from Nuapada district, was allegedly found hanging inside the hostel premises. On being informed, the Infocity Police and scientific team reached the spot, recovered the body, and began an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.

Post-Mortem at AIIMS

The body has been sent to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar, for a post-mortem, which will be conducted in the presence of the deceased student’s family members. This procedure is aimed at determining the exact cause of death.

Despite the incident having occurred more than 12 hours ago, neither the institution nor the police has issued any official statement regarding the sequence of events or whether an internal inquiry has been initiated.

Pattern of Past Allegations

This latest death has raised serious concerns about student safety and monitoring within the institution. It is not the first such incident at KISS. In December last year, the alleged brutal murder of a Class IX student from Keonjhar district sparked massive outrage and public protests. During the investigation, several past allegations of student deaths at KISS were revisited.

Families from districts such as Keonjhar, Gajapati, and Malkangiri have reported unnatural or suspicious deaths of their wards at KISS over the years, with incidents dating back to 2016, 2023, and 2025. In some cases, the allegations included charges of abetment to murder, while others described the circumstances as suspicious.

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Accountability Under Question

Despite multiple FIRs (First Information Reports) and public debates, critics argue that systemic reforms and transparent accountability mechanisms within KISS remain insufficient. The latest death has reignited questions about the supervision of hostels, the effectiveness of grievance redressal systems, the availability of mental health support for students, and the overall oversight of the institution.

At the time of filing this report, no comments from KISS authorities or founder Samanta could be obtained on the matter.