KIIT prioritised reputation over student safety, led to suicides: UGC panel

New Delhi: A fact-finding panel constituted by the University Grants Commission (UGC) has concluded that "illegal and unlawful activities" by the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar contributed to the suicides of two Nepalese students, asserting that these tragedies "could have been averted." The panel's findings suggest that the actions of the university administration amount to criminal liability.

The UGC's probe began in May 2025 after a 20-year-old Nepalese student was found deceased in her hostel room, an incident that followed the suicide of another Nepalese student from the same institute, Prakriti Lamsal, on February 16, 2025. The panel's investigation uncovered serious lapses within the university's operations.

The report specifically implicates KIIT's internal complaints committee (ICC) for failing to take appropriate lawful action in reported sexual harassment cases. It highlights a lack of transparency in the investigation protocols and notes that the victim in the later suicide case had made two prior complaints to the administration. In both instances, the university allegedly opted for an "illegal compromise" rather than following due process. The panel underscored that the university had the authority to penalise the accused student after the initial complaint, but instead "favoured" the student, leading to the tragic outcome.

Beyond the handling of harassment cases, the panel identified broader issues including serious lapses in infrastructure and governance. It also criticised the university for neglecting complaints and for prioritising its own reputation over adherence to regulations, the law of the land, and even international relations. The report explicitly states that members of the ICC and senior administrative personnel of the university are "liable for criminal punishment as per law."

Based on these findings, the UGC is reportedly contemplating strong actions, including a freeze on KIIT's expansion and departmental action against the officials deemed responsible. The panel, headed by Nageshwar Rao (former Vice Chancellor of Indira Gandhi National Open University) with members Shasikala Wanjari (Vice Chancellor of the National Institute of Planning and Administration) and HCS Rathore (former Vice Chancellor of the Central University of South Bihar), concluded that timely and lawful action by KIIT in the first reported harassment case could have prevented the subsequent tragedy.

With inputs from PTI