Foreign Minister Dr. Arju Rana Deuba has said that the death of a Nepali student studying at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University in Odisha and the events that developed after that were taken seriously by the Nepal government and resolved through diplomatic means.
After returning home after participating in the 8th Indian Ocean Conference held in Muscat, Oman, he informed reporters about his visit at Tribhuvan International Airport.
In this matter, Hijamatra also informed that she spoke to Odisha's Higher Education Minister Surybanshi Suraj on the phone and asked for a fair investigation into the death of Nepali student Prakriti Lamsal and legal action against the culprits, as well as a safe environment for Nepali students in the college.
Indian Minister Suraj also informed that the Odisha state took the incident seriously and that a high-level investigation committee has been formed for justice and action against the culprits.
Minister Deuba said, 'After the said incident, we immediately started diplomatic initiatives. While there is a demand for justice for the deceased and action against the guilty, we have coordinated between the related agencies for the safe education of the Nepali students studying there. After that, the university apologized and sent the students back to the hostel and took action against the abusive college staff.'
As the Odisha government has formed a high-level investigation committee to investigate the incident of student death, Nepal has demanded a fair investigation and legal action against the culprits.
Regarding this incident, Minister Dr. Deuba also informed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi are in contact with the Odisha government and the university administration and are working with necessary coordination.
In response to a question, Minister Dr. Deuba said that Nepali students have traveled all over the world, but since the data of all of them are not with foreign countries, it will be easier for them to be saved if such data can be kept in foreign countries in the future.
She added, 'Foreigners do not know where and in what condition the Nepalis are, but they know when they are in trouble and need to be rescued. After that, the foreign ministry does not have enough manpower to rescue them. This is why there is a problem.'
