Protests are going on in India from the Parliament to the streets regarding the suspicious death of a Nepali student at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University in Bhubaneswar, the capital of the state of Odisha, and the subsequent repression of Nepali students.

Political parties, various organizations, media and citizens are raising their voices demanding investigation and justice. 

Youth and students of the opposition party National Congress staged a protest in front of the main gate of KIIT on Saturday and burnt the effigy of university founder Achyut Samant. The opposition Biju Janata Dal and Congress in the Odisha Assembly are demanding a judicial inquiry into the incident. MPs from the ruling BJP have also condemned the incident. MPs of all major parties have said that not only Odisha but India should be ashamed because of the incident. 

Ganeshwar Bohra, a member of Biju, and Babu Singh, a member of the ruling BJP, have held Achyut Samant, the founder of the university, responsible for the incident and demanded that an investigation be carried out. Senior Congress leader Tara Prasad Bahinipati said that the female employee who made insulting comments against Nepal should also be arrested and investigated.

Nepali student Prakriti has complained to the university administration repeatedly about the harassment, but the assembly members have voiced that KIIT should be held responsible for all the incidents that have arisen. Mentioning that there is a police station near KIIT, they have also raised questions about the Odisha Police in managing peace and security. 

In the assembly meeting, Higher Education Minister Suryavanshi Suraj said that the incident is being investigated by the Odisha Police. He informed that the high-level committee formed by the state government is also studying all the concerns and concerns thoroughly.

Nepali girl's death case, Nepali students were kicked out of the hostel and beaten up and taken to the railway station are being investigated. The opposition boycotted the House on Friday after he did not commit to forming a judicial inquiry committee. 

The resident editor of the Bhubaneswar edition of The Statesman, K Ravi, said that there is widespread protest at the local level against the ill-treatment of Nepali students at KIIT.

"Print, television and all the media have not only prioritized the coverage of the incident, they have raised many questions about the university administration and the state government," he said, "The opposition party and ruling MPs in the Legislative Assembly have condemned the incident and raised the issue of safety of Nepali students." Sandeep Sahu, a journalist working for the BBC from Odisha, said that after the KIIT incident, the issue of safety and respect of Nepali students is being raised everywhere. 

The local student organization is continuously demonstrating against the incident. After the protests at the local level and the pressure from Delhi, the state government has become active. Due to pressure from all sides, the university administration has reached a defensive position. Various actions have been taken on behalf of the university administration. From the founder, to the vice-chancellor to the registrar, everyone has repeatedly apologized. Bhubaneswar police have arrested 10 people involved in the death of a Nepali student and the incident of oppression on students. 

Prakriti, a Nepali student studying at KIIT, was found dead in the hostel last Sunday evening. The university administration repressed Nepali students when they demanded an investigation saying that his death was suspicious. The KIIT administration had escorted hundreds of Nepali students from the hostel with security guards and bouncers. During that time, students were also beaten. The student was taken to the railway station and left stranded. 

The Indian media condemned the incident through editorials and opinion pieces. The English newspaper "The Indian Express" has written an editorial on Thursday, suggesting that universities and colleges in India be "gentle and kind". The newspaper mentioned that even when Nepali students filed a complaint against harassment, no adequate steps were taken by the KIIT University administration.

It is said in the editorial that the instructions given by the university staff to the Nepali students to vacate the hostel and other behavior are crude and frightening. Attention has also been drawn to ensure an inclusive environment in the university. 

The Times of India condemned the incident through an editorial. In an editorial entitled 'Bharat, Teach Yourself', the comments made by the university staff about Nepal's budget have been termed arrogance. It is reminded that the revenue of the American company Walmart is more than the budget of the Indian government. 

India's famous journalist Ravish Kumar has condemned the behavior of Nepali students at KIIT through his YouTube channel. He questioned the KIIT administration and Odisha Police for not taking credible action from the beginning.

Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the state government came into "action" only after he wrote about the Odisha incident on the social network X. Mentioning that the treatment of Nepali students is very wrong, he mentioned that no university should be so arrogant.

 Ravish Kumar has also condemned the statement made by some officials of KIIT that 'the university is spending more than the budget of Nepal in providing free food to the students'. He said that there should be an investigation of all those involved in forcing Nepalese students out of the hostel and beating them. He also stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should intervene and ensure concrete action in this matter. "Who is responsible for the death of Nepali students should be investigated in a transparent manner," he said.

Journalist Shubshankar Mishra commented that the mistreatment of Nepali students at KIIT has become a matter of shame for India. He commented on the KIIT case for 14 minutes on his YouTube channel. During that, he condemned the university administration and said that no one in India should support them. 

The incident in Bhubaneswar, Odisha has been covered by The Hindu, Times of India and other newspapers and television. The English newspaper Deccan Herald has published an opinion that India has failed the diplomatic test regarding the KIIT incident. Writer Shastri Ramachandran's article has commented that the failure to understand the seriousness of the incident is the weakness of the central and state governments. He called the incident with the Nepali student a continuation of the racial prejudice that is happening to the students of the Northeast in India. 

'Safety and well-being of Nepali students top priority' 

After increasing pressure from within India, the Indian government has stated that the safety and well-being of Nepali students is a top priority. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, further legal and administrative steps will be taken based on the findings of the high-level committee formed by the Odisha government to investigate the incident. 

Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal has said that all necessary steps have been taken for the safety of students and active participation in educational activities. He said that since the incident came to the knowledge, he has been in contact with the Ministry, Government of Nepal, State Government, KIIT officials and taking necessary steps.

He also mentioned that the Odisha government and related institutes have taken action to address the situation. He said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in regular contact with the state government to facilitate the return of Nepali students to the university. He mentioned that Nepali students studying in India are an important part of permanent people-to-people relations between the two countries. 

Phone conversation between Foreign Minister Rana and Chief Minister 

Foreign Minister Arju Rana Deuba on Saturday held a phone conversation with Odisha Chief Minister Mohancharan Majhi and demanded a fair investigation into Lamsal's death and action against the culprits. She is also of the opinion that the teachers and staff involved in the misbehavior of Nepali students should be permanently dismissed.