The funeral rites of Prisha Sah, who was found dead at a hostel of the KIIT University, Odisha on Thursday evening, was conducted on Saturday evening at Swargadwara in Puri, India.

Surendra Thapa, deputy chief of mission at the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi, told the Post that the postmortem of Prisha’s body was conducted on Saturday.

Then the funeral was conducted in Swargadwara, an important Hindu cremation ground and sea beach located in Puri, Odisha, India. Prisha’s parents, members of the university administration and her friends in the college were present during the ritual.

The apparent suicide of the Nepali student from Sarlahi once again sent shock waves across Nepal and India and raised serious questions about the safety and security of Nepali students studying at the KIIT.

The incident comes barely three months after Praktiti Lamsal of Rupandehi was found dead in similar circumstances on February 16 on the same campus.

Prisha’s postmortem was conducted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Bhubaneswar with consent from the family members. The postmortem report will come out in 2 to 3 days, said Thapa.

The Odisha police have already launched an investigation to find out the reasons behind her death. They have taken away her mobile phone and laptop with her family’s consent. After a preliminary investigation, police arrested a man from Dehradrun, Uttarakhand.

Though the family is not fully sure about the suspect, after getting some clues from her mobile and laptop, the police made the arrest and an investigation is going on, another official at the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi told the Post on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.

The Nepal government has already taken up the case with India’s Ministry of External Affairs as well as the state government of Odisha through its embassy in New Delhi.

The government of India and the state government of Odisha also committed to investigate the case and deliver justice to Prisha.

In February too, the Odisha government and the state police conducted separate investigations into the suspicious death of Prakriti but both agencies have yet to make their reports public. The delay has raised questions over the intent.

Meanwhile, India’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has pledged to reinspect the safety of students, if necessary. NHRC member Priyank Kanungo asserted that the well-being of students remains their top priority and expressed the commission’s readiness to probe the repeated incidents of death, according to Odisha TV. He emphasised that if deemed necessary, another team would be dispatched to inquire into student safety at the KIIT.

The NHRC, India has issued notices to the chief secretary and the director general of police (DGP), urging them to carry out a thorough investigation into the matter.

“We have sent a notice to the DGP and the chief secretary demanding an Action Taken Report (ATR). If needed, a team from NHRC will come to Bhubaneswar to investigate the matter,” Kanungo told the local television channel. “Our top priority is the safety of students.”

The commission has mandated that the investigation be concluded and a detailed report, including the actions taken, be submitted by May 9, says the same news channel that has extensively covered both tragic incidents.

“A Nepali student was found dead under suspicious circumstances in the hostel of KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, marking the second such incident at the University within three months. The complainant alleged that this issue has raised serious concerns about the safety of foreign students. The allegations made in the complaint prima facie seem to be serious violations of the human rights of the victim,” says the news report, citing the NHRC letter.

Several Nepali organisations in India also demanded an investigation to find out the truth behind her death and to punish the culprit.