Student deaths at KIIT-KISS went unreported during previous govt, alleges Bhubaneswar educationist

Fresh concerns over the safety of students and institutional accountability have emerged at the KIIT–KISS campuses following the suspicious death of a Class IX tribal student, with Bhubaneswar-based educationist Raghunath Panda questioning the manner in which recent fatalities have been handled by the concerned authority of the institutions.

Reacting to the death of a ninth-grade student from Keonjhar enrolled at the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) in Bhubaneswar, Panda said the circumstances surrounding the incident showed signs of serious lapses in communication, responsibility, and transparency.

He asserted that the institute failed in its moral and institutional duty by not promptly and clearly informing the student’s family about the child’s actual medical condition.

“Whatever happened to the ninth-grade student was not right,” Panda said, adding that the father should have been immediately informed that his son was being taken to a hospital and about the seriousness of his condition. According to allegations made by the family, they were told the student was undergoing treatment even though he had already died.

Questions On Trust And Duty Of Care

Panda underlined that parents send their children to residential institutions with complete faith, particularly in institutions that project themselves as safe and globally reputed.

“From the moment a guardian leaves a child at such an institution, the responsibility for that child’s welfare rests entirely with the institute,” he said, describing the alleged sequence of events as a breach of trust.

The educationist further raised broader concerns about repeated incidents at KIIT and KISS, pointing to the recent death of a Nepalese student at the KIIT campus, the cause of which has not yet been officially clarified. He noted that a series of incidents occurring one after another inevitably raises questions about campus safety mechanisms and crisis response protocols.

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Scrutiny After Change In Government

Panda also alleged that while KIIT and KISS enjoyed favourable attention during the previous BJD-led government, incidents of student deaths did not receive sustained scrutiny. He said the death of the Nepalese student earlier this year, after the change in government, drew nationwide attention and prompted directives from central agencies, including the National Human Rights Commission, but no conclusive findings have been made public so far.

Allegations, Protests, And Official Silence

The death of the Class IX student triggered protests in Keonjhar, where the family placed the body outside the district Collector’s office, alleging murder, concealment of facts, and procedural irregularities. The administration later sent the body for post-mortem examination following the protest.

Family members alleged that no medical records, treatment papers, or discharge summaries were provided by either KISS or KIMS Medical College and Hospital, and that no post-mortem was conducted in Bhubaneswar before the body was handed over.

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As of the filing of this report, neither KISS nor KIIT authorities nor KIMS Medical College and Hospital have issued an official statement responding to the allegations or explaining the sequence of events.