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Five individuals arrested for the forced eviction of Nepali students from hostels at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha have been granted bail. Those arrested include KIIT’s Director General of HR, Sibananda Mishra, Director of Administration Pratap Kumar Chamupaty, Director of Hostels Sudhir Kumar Rath, and two security personnel.
The arrests followed protests by Nepali students after the death of fellow student Prakriti Lamsal, found dead in her hostel room on February 16. Students alleged she faced harassment, and when negotiations failed, they were ordered to vacate the hostel. The arrested individuals reportedly tried to hasten the eviction, during which some students were allegedly manhandled and taken to Cuttack railway station without travel arrangements.
KIIT administration stated they made extensive efforts to resolve the situation peacefully but faced disruptions from protestors. Additionally, another student, Advik Srivastava, has been arrested for allegedly abetting Lamsal’s suicide and is in judicial custody. The Odisha government has formed a high-level committee to investigate her death.
(Newsroom staff only edited this story for style from a syndicated feed)
