‘Money power shields institutions’: NHRC member seeks Odisha govt’s intervention on KISS student murder case

The alleged murder of a tribal student at Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) in Bhubaneswar has taken a serious turn with NHRC member Priyank Kanungo raising grave concerns over the handling of the case and alleging possible violations of child protection and human rights norms at the Achyuta Samanta-founded institution.

Referring to the complaint received by the National Human Rights Commission, Kanungo said there were strangulation marks on the student’s neck, yet no post-mortem examination was conducted and no police report was prepared before the body was handed over to the family. He said such handling of the body raises serious questions over institutional conduct.

“The entire incident puts the role of KISS under doubt. Handing over the body to the family in this manner indicates that something is fishy,” Kanungo alleged, adding that there was information suggesting that the Juvenile Justice Act was not properly followed in the case.

Kanungo said the NHRC is awaiting reports from the police, after which a decision will be taken on whether to send a fact-finding team to the KISS campus.

'Odisha Government Must Intervene'

Expressing concern over repeated incidents, he recalled that Nepalese students had earlier died at KIIT University. “The state is losing students; the Odisha government should take the matter seriously and act immediately,” said Kanungo.

“As a human rights activist, I must say that institutions like KISS have huge financial power and often secure stays from courts by hiring top lawyers. This ties our hands while poor families suffer,” Kanungo said. 

Also Read: KISS student murder case: NHRC seeks ATR from KIIT VC, Commissionerate Police within two weeks

However, he stressed that the state government should approach the High Court and place on record how students’ lives are at stake in such institutions.

He further warned that if Child Welfare Committees report an institution as unsafe for children and no corrective action is taken, it becomes a grave concern for the entire system.

The NHRC had earlier sought an Action Taken Report from the KIIT Vice-Chancellor and the Commissionerate Police, directing them to submit their response within two weeks.