KIIT University recorded its third student death this year, with a first-year Computer Science student found dead in a hostel room on Monday. The earlier fatalities involved a Nepalese girl student on February 16, another Nepalese girl student on May 1, and now a third case on December 1, raising renewed concern over recurring deaths on the campus.

First-Year Student Found Hanging in Hostel

The deceased has been identified as Rahul Yadav, a resident of Chhattisgarh and a 1st-year Computer Science student at KIIT University. He was reportedly found hanging inside his hostel room.

Police suspect the incident to be a case of suicide, though no conclusion has been drawn yet. The Infocity Police have begun an investigation, and a scientific team has examined the spot. No official statement from KIIT University was available at the time of reporting.

Bhubaneswar ACP (Zone-VI) Sonali Singh Parmar said, “The student was found hanging in the hostel. His name is Rahul Yadav, and he was a first-year Computer Science student. A scientific team has reached the scene, his family has been informed, and they are on their way. We are investigating all possible angles, and nothing has been established yet. He died on Sunday night, and his roommates were in another room but not with him at the time.”

Earlier Deaths Sparked Protests and Investigations

This new case adds to a troubling pattern at KIIT. On 16 February 2025, Prakriti Lamsal, a third-year B.Tech student from Nepal, was found dead in her hostel room. Her death sparked widespread protests, with students alleging that harassment and administrative negligence contributed to the tragedy.

Following the incident, a UGC fact-finding committee reportedly held KIIT accountable, citing: Poor hostel conditions, mishandling of student complaints, administrative lapses.

Also Read: Another KIIT University student found dead in hostel

A second fatality occurred in May, when another Nepali student, Prisha Saha, a first-year B.Tech student, was also found dead on campus.

Widespread Concern Over Student Safety

With three student deaths within a year, the situation has raised serious concerns among students, parents, and regulatory bodies about safety, mental health support, and administrative accountability at KIIT University.

Response From Institution Authority

Later in the day, the KIIT University acknowledged the recent student suicide and issued an official statement through a press release. 

The institute’s Public Relations Director, Sradhanjali Nayak, stated that, “Rising suicide tendency among students is a wider concern. However, she termed certain factual news reports as "exaggerated". She added that the matter has already been reported to the police, and an investigation is underway.

OTV Clarification 

We would like to state that OTV does not publish exaggerated news. This report was brought to the public based on factual information, in which we included the details provided by the police authorities. As a responsible media organisation, we repeatedly contacted the KIIT authorities for their response on the matter. Once their reaction was received, we immediately published it. We have been continuously reporting on the need for measures to address the rising trend of suicides in KIIT and other campuses. However, although three suicide cases have occurred in KIIT within the past year, the institute did not mention in this letter what awareness or preventive steps it took to address the issue.