Greater than a month after a 20-year-old pc science lady pupil from Nepal was discovered hanging in her hostel room in Bhubaneswar’s Kalinga Institute of Industrial Know-how (KIIT) College, the Nationwide Human Rights Fee (NHRC) held the varsity chargeable for the sequence of occasions that led her to kill herself.
Agitators stage a protest over the loss of life of a Nepali pupil on the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Know-how campus in Bhubaneswar on February 19. (PTI Photograph)
The coed was discovered lifeless on February 16 a number of months after she accused her classmate, a 21-year-old mechanical engineering pupil from Lucknow, of blackmailing her.
The accused Advik Shrivastava, a third-year B.Tech pupil, was arrested by Bhubaneswar police on the metropolis airport when he was making an attempt to flee. The incident turned a diplomatic difficulty with India’s neighbouring nation as college authorities expelled greater than 1,000 Nepali college students, together with two academics who hurled racial abuses at college students who protested towards the alleged apathy by college authorities in addressing the deceased pupil’s complaints.
The NHRC earlier this month, following a grievance by a Bhubaneswar-based particular person, inquired into the suicide and the following harassment of Nepalese college students by the college, and stated in its report that the sufferer was sexually harassed by the accused and subsequent non-action by the Worldwide Relations Workplace of the college led to her suicide because it violated the her proper to equality and proper to reside with dignity. It’s a clear violation of the rights below Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Structure, the human rights physique stated.
“The victim in her complaint on March 12, 2024, to KIIT’s International Relations Office had written about the sexual harassment while detailing her mental state during the days. As per the statements of the university registrar and IRO officials, after receiving the complaint, they further referred/informed disciplinary committee officials. The committee officials directed Advik Shrivastava to delete all nude photographs of the victim, but did not take necessary, mandatory steps and disposed of the matter in a very casual manner. The IRO office and disciplinary committee got undertakings from the victim and the alleged accused rather than informing or referring to this complaint to the Internal Complaints Committee formed under the POSH Act or the local police station,” the NHRC report said.
“The victim was sexually harassed by the accused and subsequent non-action by the university IRO violated the deceased’s right to equality and right to live with dignity. Each such incident results in violation of the fundamental rights of Gender Equality and the Right of Life and Liberty. The conduct of the IRO and university officers/ disciplinary committee and college authorities shows that there is gross negligence and omission on their part IRO and University authorities which may be treated amount to act of abetment to commit suicide on the part of the university officials, which finally resulted in her suicide,” the NHRC report stated, seen by HT.
The NHRC stated entry to increased training ought to essentially be adopted by unhampered and continued entry until completion of the course.
“After having obtained such access or admission to a course, a student should not be prevented from completing it, except according to procedure established by the law. However, in this instance, KIIT University did not provide the right lawful atmosphere to the deceased girl to pursue her studies, and higher education thereby violated her Right to Higher Education,” the report stated.
The NHRC stated KIIT College officers admitted that nearly 1,000-1,100 college students left their hostel on February 17 after the incident when 180 lady college students left the hostel in haste, “which could have led to some other untoward incident”.
“But college authorities did not bother about the safety of girl students while throwing them out of campus. Regrettably, the university was unrepentant and even had the audacity to reply that there had been no merit in the allegations. This manifests sheer insensitivity, if not downright arrogance,” the NHRC report stated.
The NHRC staff, which additionally inquired into the allegations of Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences — a tribal college began by former BJD MP Achyut Samanta — exploiting tribal kids and violating their human rights, stated the report of Youngster Welfare Committee in 2017 highlighting poor residing situations there together with overcrowding, unclean amenities, and lack of primary facilities nonetheless existed.
“The Child Welfare Committee of Khordha in its report in June 2017 had recommended the district collector of Khordha to set up a joint inquiry committee to investigate the issue and recommend the district administration for proper action for the best interest of the children. However, the said joint inquiry is still pending on the part of the district administration. No recommendations of the CWC have been followed by the KISS authorities,” the physique stated.
HT has sought a response from KIIT officers concerning the NHRC report.
As per UGC pointers, increased academic establishments should put in place a broad-based ‘Students Counseling System’ for efficient administration of issues and challenges confronted by college students, which the NHRC stated have been violated by KIIT College.
The NHRC has additionally requested the Odisha chief secretary to submit an motion taken report inside the subsequent 4 weeks whereas asking the Bhubaneswar police commissioner to submit an up to date investigation report on the suicide case of the Nepali pupil. It additionally requested the UGC chairman to contemplate initiating requisite motion towards the College for violation of its pointers and the Nationwide Evaluation and Accreditation Council chairman has been requested to look at the difficulty of non-compliance of pupil assist and development whereas granting accreditation.
The Odisha authorities, which shaped a high-powered committee headed by extra chief secretary residence to probe into experiences of misconduct, together with the usage of power, towards college students by KIIT officers on February 16 night and February 17, is but to submit its report.