KIIT Nepali student death: MLAs raise issue in Odisha assembly, Cong demands judicial probe
Bhubaneswar (PTI): Legislators cutting across party lines on Tuesday expressed grief in the Odisha assembly over the death of a Nepali student on the KIIT campus here and condemned the alleged mistreatment of several other students from the neighbouring country by the private institute's authorities.
The issue was raised during the Zero Hour by BJD member PK Deb who said the girl’s suicide and subsequent development brought shame to the state.
The Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) was accused of evicting a group of Nepali students from their hostel, amid tension on the campus following the death of Prakriti Lamsal, a third-year B Tech student of the institute.
“The incident has brought down the name of Odisha at the international level,” Deb claimed.
He alleged that the incident was an outcome of the "worsening law and order situation" under the BJP rule in the state.
Congress legislature party leader Rama Chandra Kadam also expressed concern over the alleged mistreatment of the students from Nepal.
“This is an unfortunate incident and it should not be accepted by anyone,” Kadam said.
Senior Congress member Taraprasad Bahinipati demanded a judicial probe into the incident in which the Nepali girl was suspected to have died by suicide and several other students from the Himalayan country were allegedly assaulted by KIIT staff.
“It hurts when we find that the students from Nepal were harassed in Odisha. Our state has a long-standing relationship with Nepal. The treatment by KIIT authorities has strained Odisha’s relationship with Nepal,” Bahinipati said.
The Congress MLAs also threatened that he would stage a dharna in the assembly if the chief minister did not order a judicial inquiry into the incident.
In a statement, KIIT said it has always been a home to students from across the world, fostering a culture of inclusivity, respect, and care.
"We deeply regret the recent incident and reaffirm our commitment to the safety, dignity, and well-being of all our students, including our dear Nepali students," the institute wrote on X.
BJP MLA Babu Singh also demanded the arrest of Achyuta Samanta, the founder of KIIT.
“What has happened in KIIT is a shame for Odisha. Therefore, Samanta should be arrested,” the BJP lawmaker said, adding that the state has sustained a huge loss due to the "wrongdoings" of the private institute.
Singh alleged that Samanta, who was an MP from Kandhamal, was "patronised by the opposition Biju Janata Dal.
Several other BJP MLAs also came down heavily on the institute over the Nepali student's death.
Prakriti Lamsal's body was recovered on Sunday evening from her hostel room.
The institute said, "It is suspected that the girl was having an affair with another student at KIIT, and she may have committed suicide for some reason."
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Marxism will remain relevant despite Left electoral's losses, says general secretary M A Baby
New Delhi (PTI): CPI(M) General Secretary M A Baby on Thursday asserted that the Left movement would remain relevant despite not being in power in any state, saying the ideology would continue to endure as long as social and economic inequalities persist.
Hitting back at BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar over his reported remarks that Marxism had become irrelevant, Baby, in an interview with PTI Videos, said, "So long as there is division in society, so long as there is exploitation of the majority of workers, peasants and ordinary masses by a handful of billionaires, Marxism will remain relevant."
"That perhaps Mr Rajeev Chandrasekhar may not be able to understand, but this is the fact of the matter," he said.
Baby acknowledged that the CPI(M)-led Left was currently without an elected government in any state, but maintained that electoral setbacks would not diminish the movement's role.
"We may not have an elected government in any state. There were occasions when we didn't have a government. But the red flag and the commitment to organise and struggle for the rights of the dispossessed, marginalised and exploited will always be upheld by CPI(M) and the Left movement," he said.
He said the Left continued to enjoy support among workers, peasants, agricultural labourers, youth, students and women, and argued that the movement remained necessary because "oppression and assault" continued in society.
"So long as such problems exist in society, the red flag and the working class movement will continue to work among the masses," the Left leader said.
Exuding confidence on the Left's revival, Baby said the party would reflect on the reasons behind its electoral loss.
"We may be rejected in one election, but we will stage our comeback by understanding what went wrong with us," he said, adding, "We will listen to people and we will come back with higher strength."
Baby also criticised the Congress over reported factional tensions in Kerala after the Congress-led United Democratic Front's victory in the state.
"The way they are behaving is being watched by the people of Kerala," he said, referring to infighting within the Congress.
"Those who have given a massive majority to Congress and UDF would be watching all this," he added, while urging party leaders to "settle the problem in an amicable, democratic manner".
Referring to West Bengal, Baby alleged that violence had escalated following the BJP's victory in the state assembly polls.
"It is quite unfortunate that the moment BJP snatched a massive victory in West Bengal, violence has also started on a big scale," he said.
He also accused the Trinamool Congress of being "notorious for violent activities" and alleged that the "RSS-controlled BJP" had "unleashed violence in many places" after the election results.
"This is not good for Bengal, not good for the country. We wish and hope that normalcy would be restored as soon as possible," he said.
Baby said the CPI(M) and the Left in West Bengal would continue efforts to "pacify people" and avoid violence and confrontation.
Asked about former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan not reacting publicly to the election results, Baby said Vijayan would respond "at an appropriate time".
