Nepal has sent two embassy officials to counsel Nepalese students at a Bhubaneswar university after a student from the country reportedly died by suicide, Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli said Monday.
Prakriti Lamsal, a third-year B.Tech student, was found dead in her hostel room on Sunday, police said. Her death sparked protests among Nepalese students on campus.
"Our Embassy in New Delhi has dispatched two officers to counsel Nepali students affected in Odisha. Additionally, arrangements have been made to ensure they have the option to either remain in their hostel or return home, based on their preference," Oli posted on X.
Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba said diplomatic efforts were underway regarding the incident.
Some students claimed they were asked to leave the hostel. "We were told to vacate hostel rooms and dropped at the railway station. We had to appear for an examination on February 28," a student told reporters at Cuttack railway station.
The Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) later said Nepalese students had been sent home due to the situation. The university assured the Nepalese Embassy in Delhi that it would arrange accommodation for them in the hostel and continue their classes.
The Nepalese Embassy said it was in contact with the Indian government and the Odisha chief minister's office while coordinating with authorities on the incident.
A group of Nepalese students staged a protest outside the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, demanding an investigation into the incident.