In the immediate aftermath of the tragic death of a 20-year-old Nepali student in Odisha’s Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) last week, the engineering college issued a notice for all international students from Nepal to vacate the campus.
Following backlash, the university released another circular, retracting this directive. KIIT founder, Achyuta Samanta, then attempted to do damage control by issuing a public apology — and assuring parents their children were safe on the campus.
But it was too late.
Since the incident, over 500 Nepali students from the institute have reportedly returned to their home country. Adding fuel to the fire, hundreds of students who had staged protests, alleging inaction by the administration, were lathi-charged, The Quint has learnt.
KIIT's terrible handling of a sensitive matter, and the exodus that followed, has not only led to a deep erosion of trust among Nepali students and their families, but has also put India in an uncomfortable position.
India’s Delayed Diplomatic Response
Prakriti Lamsal, who was studying BTech at KIIT, died by suicide on 16 February after she was allegedly harassed and blackmailed by a batchmate. After Lamsal’s death, it emerged that she had complained about the harassment to the institute's international relations officer who did not take any concrete action at the time and failed to adequately protect her.
After KIIT's directive for Nepali students to vacate the campus, the Nepal Embassy quickly intervened, with Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli dispatching officials the very next day to counsel students.
The issue escalated to Nepal’s Parliament, where lawmakers from both, the ruling party and the opposition, demanded that instead of just giving a flood of statements, the Nepal government should provide them with daily updates on the case until it is settled.
But it wasn't until 19 February that the Odisha government issued a statement and announced a high-level fact-finding committee to probe the matter. India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson addressed the issue in a press conference, but only three days after PM Oli’s tweet on the same.
The slow response from Indian authorities raises a crucial question: was this enough for a situation where diplomatic tensions were at stake?
The good news is that Nepal seems to look towards solutions, with Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba emphasising that the issue is being resolved through diplomatic means.
But, as far as India goes, the response in the coming weeks will determine whether trust can be restored, or if this marks the beginning of the decline in Nepali student enrolment in India.
Impact on India’s Image as an Education Hub
India and Nepal share a long-standing tradition of academic exchange. After being sworn in to power in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Bharat-Nepal Shiksha Maitra Karyakram, an initiative that promotes ties with Nepal by encouraging Nepali students to come to Indian universities.
Before the Modi government too, a 'Golden Jubilee' scholarship was initiated in 2002 for Nepali students, marking 50 years of the India-Nepal Economic Corporation that started in 1951.
Each year, India provides 1,500 scholarships to Nepali students. Nearly 38,000 students from Nepal have benefited from scholarships by the Indian government since 2001, according to data by the Embassy of India in Kathmandu.
Last year, Nepal’s Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Prithvi Subba Gurung, highlighted the importance of strengthening the educational relationship between the two nations as they share multiple projects on education, such as the Memorandum of Understanding signed in May 2022 between the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Lumbini Buddhist University, for the establishment of Dr Ambedkar Chair for Buddhist Studies.
India has over time also tried to build itself to be a hub for higher education, especially in the global south, attracting students from its South Asia neighbours such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan.
Under the National Education Policy (NEP), India aims to attract even more international students, particularly from neighbouring countries, and become a destination for affordable quality education. As part of its outreach efforts, the Indian embassy in Kathmandu also regularly holds joint workshops in Kathmandu, inviting universities from India to enhance educational links between the two.
But India's mishandling of this crisis raises critical questions about its commitment to ensure a safe, inclusive environment for its international students.
If Nepali students start looking at other countries in South Asia or the West for higher education, India will risk losing an important section of international students. To prevent this from happening, Indian authorities must engage in confidence-building measures with Nepali students and their families.
Racism A Long-Standing Issue
Beyond institutional failings, Prakriti Lamsal’s death, and KIIT's response, has brought into focus the discrimination Nepali students face in India.
A viral video, which emerged post the incident, showed an associate professor at KIIT telling Nepali students in the hostel, “Go wherever you feel safe. Our university spends more on your welfare than the entire budget of the Nepal government.”
She later apologised for her comments, but the damage was already done. India, a nation which prides itself in the belief of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family), had already come to a standpoint of embarrassment.
“This is not the first time Nepali students have encountered discrimination in India. A student recently told me how some Indians respect other international students but humiliate the Nepali students. Some students have even confided in me about derogatory remarks made about Nepal by their professors.”Kiran Paudel, journalist at Nepal’s Kantipur Media Group.
Discriminatory attitudes towards Indians are not new. The term “Bahadur” is an infamous nickname used by some Indians for Nepalis. Not only does it stereotype them, but it also carries derogatory connotations. While reading about the incident, The Quint found Lamsal's image uploaded on an Instagram page, which was asking for people to vote on her looks. The image had “momo” written on it.
Journalists from Nepal who have been proactively reporting on this subject shared with The Quint how students who have returned back to Nepal after this incident have ruled out India as an educational destination for the future.
Lamsal’s death is a wake-up call for Indian authorities and universities. This is not just a crisis for KIIT, but a moment that could redefine how Nepali students perceive Indian educational institutions.
If India wants to maintain its reputation as an attractive educational destination for neighbouring countries, it must do more than merely react to incidents. We must learn from this tragedy and implement meaningful reforms that are sustained and proactive.
(Sumaiya Ali is an independent journalist who writes on politics, human rights and media discourse in South Asia. This is an opinion piece. The views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)