New Delhi: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has established a four-member fact-finding committee to investigate the recent deaths of Nepali students at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha’s Bhubaneswar.

The panel will be led by Nageshwar Rao, Vice Chancellor of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). It has been tasked with examining the circumstances surrounding the reported suicides and ensuring adherence to regulations concerning student safety and welfare. It will also propose measures to prevent such tragedies in the future.

Other members of the committee include Shashikala Wanjari, Vice Chancellor of the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA); H C S Rathore, former Vice Chancellor of the Central University of South Bihar, Gaya; and Sunita Siwach, UGC Joint Secretary, who will act as the committee's coordinating officer, according to a statement issued by UGC on Friday.

The move follows the death of a first-year BTech student from Nepal, who was found hanging in her hostel room on Thursday evening. This marks the second such incident involving a student from a neighbouring country at the same institute within a span of three months.

Commenting on the latest incident, Bhubaneswar Police Commissioner Suresh Dev Datta Singh said, “Prima facie, it appears to be a suicide case, as she was found in a hanging position inside a locked room. All evidence has been collected. The body has been sent to AIIMS for post-mortem. An investigation is underway. I have spoken to the Nepali embassy. Police arrangements have been made outside KIIT University, where the situation is normal.”

He added that the body had been shifted to Bhubaneswar for post-mortem and that investigations were ongoing.

Bhubaneswar Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Jagmohan Meena offered further details, stating that the incident came to light during an evening attendance round.

“During the investigation, it was found that when the hostel warden was taking evening attendance, one student did not respond. On checking, the girl was found hanging inside her room. She was immediately shifted to a local hospital. The body is now kept at AIIMS, and the girl's parents have been informed. The girl hailed from Nepal. She was studying BTech and was in the first year. No note was found in the girl's room,” Meena said.

Meanwhile, the girl’s parents, who are now in India following the incident, expressed shock over the sudden turn of events. Her mother said, “We received information (about her demise) at 8 pm...” Her father added, “On the day of the incident, we had a telephonic conversation with her at 3 pm. She talked to us nicely...”

In a similar incident earlier this year, in February, another Nepali student, Prakriti Lamsal, was also reported to have died by suicide on the same campus.