Kathmandu: Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli Tuesday assured all possible government support to the parents of Prakriti Lamsal, a 20-year-old Nepali student of a private engineering institute in India who died allegedly by suicide at her hostel room earlier this month.
Speaking with the girl’s father, Sunil Lamsal, over the phone, Prime Minister Oli expressed deep sorrow over the incident and reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring justice, officials here said.
Prakriti, a third-year B Tech (Computer Science) student at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha, was found dead in her hostel room February 16, leading to unrest on the campus. She allegedly died by suicide under circumstances that her family and authorities are currently scrutinising.
There are around 1,000 Nepalese students studying in KIIT, Odisha.
During the conversation with Prakriti’s parents, Oli assured them that the Nepalese government had been closely monitoring the case from the beginning. He promised to extend all necessary diplomatic and legal support to bring the perpetrator to justice, the officials said.
“This news has deeply saddened me. It has brought grief to all of us. We cannot change what has happened. It was an unfortunate event… An investigation is underway,” the prime minister said, expressing confidence that authorities in India would conduct a fair investigation and the victim will get justice.
Prakriti’s father Lamsal thanked the government for its attention to the case and emphasised the need for stronger measures to ensure the safety of Nepali students studying abroad.
“Many Nepali children are studying in India. We do not want such incidents to recur. The government must take proactive steps in this matter,” he said.
In his response, Oli assured that the government has taken the case seriously from the beginning and reaffirmed his commitment to securing justice for Prakriti.
On Saturday last week, Nepal’s Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba called for an “impartial investigation” into Prakriti’s case and urged legal action against the culprit.
Deuba made the requests during a telephone conversation with Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
Prakriti was a resident of Bhairahawa in western Nepal.
The National Human Rights Commission of Nepal has also urged its Indian counterpart to investigate her unnatural death and ensure justice for her.
Prime Minister Oli had rushed two embassy officials to Bhubaneswar to take stock of the situation following the incident.