The death of Nepali student Prakriti Lamsal in Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha continues to haunt the Indian state and polarise local politics.

The Odisha Higher Education Department has summoned KIIT founder Achyuta Samanta in connection with the alleged suicide.

He has been asked to appear before a High-Level Committee on February 21, 2025 in Bhubaneswar, and submit relevant documents, said a notice issued by the department on Thursday.

The presumed suicide of the 20-year-old, a third-year BTech Nepali student, has sparked debate in Indian and Nepali media, as well as public sphere and parliament.

Her body was brought to her hometown in Siddharthanagar, Bhairahawa and cremated on Wednesday night, while the man accused of abetting her presumed suicide is in police custody.

On Thursday, opposition lawmakers in Odisha State Assembly raised concerns over Prakriti’s death, saying that the incident had tarnished Odisha’s image on the global stage.

Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati, Odisha Skill Development and Technical Education Minister Sampad Swain, among others, raised the issue in the state assembly on Thursday.

Following the incident on February 16, as many as 300 Nepali students studying at KIIT have returned to Nepal after the university issued an order to leave the premises in the wake of student protests over Prakriti’s death. Later the KIIT asked the agitating students to join regular classes as it has ensured their security and safety.

According to the Odisha TV, the Twin City Police Commissioner S Dev Datta Singh stated that the Commissionerate Police has taken Advik Srivastava, the key accused and Prakriti’s ex-boyfriend, on a three-day remand for interrogation.

Additionally, a high-level probe committee plans to conduct a voice spectrography to ascertain the authenticity of multiple voice messages circulating online which are alleged to be recordings of calls and voice messages exchanged between Srivastava and Lamsal, said the news channel that has been extensively covering the death of Prakriti.

Odisha TV reported that Prakriti’s peers released the purported voice notes, which contain a series of abusive and derogatory remarks allegedly made by Srivastava. In several instances in the recordings, Prakriti can be heard breaking down over the remarks of the accused. Her peers claim she was subjected to extreme mental pressure emanating from abuse, harassment and blackmail by Srivastava.

To ensure the security of Nepali students currently on the university campus, KIIT has taken a series of steps, including establishing a hotline and helpline.

Meanwhile, a high-level fact-finding committee comprising senior officials led by the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of the Odisha Home Department has begun its second consecutive day of probe into Prakriti's death.

On Thursday, KIIT issued a statement on the social media platform X expressing its deepest condolences to Prakriti’s grieving family, calling her “a bright student from Nepal whose untimely demise has left us all heartbroken.”

“Prof Achyuta Samanta met her father and uncle and assured them that Prakriti’s dreams will live on. To honour her memory, and in accordance with her father’s wish, KIIT will introduce a special scholarship for Nepali students in her name. This initiative will ensure that many more talented students like Prakriti have the opportunity to pursue their education without hurdles,” said the statement further.

It said Samanta also met with the counselors from the Embassy of Nepal, and spoke to Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar, as well as Nepal’s home minister and foreign minister, to brief them on the actions taken in connection with the incident.

Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said on Thursday that no individual, even remotely involved in the incidents, will be exempted from scrutiny or justice. “Whether it is the authorities from KIIT University or any other person(s), those found guilty will be dealt with according to the law and face the befitting consequences,” Harichandan said.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Deuba has stated that the government is taking Prakriti Lamsal’s death and the subsequent developments seriously, and is working to resolve the matter through diplomatic means.

Upon her return from the 8th Indian Ocean Conference in Muscat, Oman, on Thursday, Minister Deuba informed the media that she had spoken to Odisha’s Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj and called for a fair investigation into Prakriti’s death and legal action against those responsible.

She also stressed the need to ensure a safe environment for Nepali students at KIIT, to which the Indian minister responded by assuring that Odisha authorities had taken the matter seriously.

Minister Deuba also said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi are in constant contact with the Odisha government and the university, coordinating necessary efforts.

In response to a query, she proposed that maintaining an updated record of Nepali students worldwide—which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs currently does not do—could make rescue operations more efficient in future emergencies.

“The ministry is unaware of the whereabouts or circumstances of Nepali citizens until they face problems. Even then, there isn’t enough manpower in the ministry to help them,” she said.