Two staff members of the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar have apologised for their comments demeaning Nepal while responding to protests by Nepali students over the death of an engineering student.
In videos that went viral, a professor, identified as Manjusha Pandey, and Jayanti Nath, joint director of girls' hostel and student affairs, were heard insulting Nepal, claiming that KIIT was feeding and educating 40,000 students for free, for which the expense was more than the neighbouring country's budget.
After the video caused massive outrage, the two KIIT staffers issued an apology on Tuesday and claimed that the remarks were made in the ¡°spur of the moment".
"I want to take a moment to apologise for my recent remarks regarding Nepal while handling a student protest that escalated beyond control. My intention was never to offend or demean anyone and I deeply regret if my words caused intended hurt to the sentiments of anyone," Jayanti Nath said in the video.
KIIT also distanced itself from the comments made by the staff, calling the remarks extremely irresponsible and made in their personal capacity on the spur of the moment. The duo has also been suspended by KIIT as the controversy continues to blow up.
KIIT has been gripped by protests after Prakriti Lamsal, a third-year BTech (computer science) student from Nepal, died by suicide on February 16, allegedly due to harassment by a classmate.
As other students from Nepal began protesting and demanding justice for Prakriti, KIIT management made matters worse by expelling them.
The students were evicted from the hostel and dropped at Cuttack railway station without making any arrangements for their travel.
Meanwhile, the Nepal government on Tuesday said that it may stop issuing no objection certificates to students who wish to study in institutes in Odisha if the situation arising from the death of Prakriti is not resolved in a ¡°justifiable and legal way¡±.
Responding to the uproar in Nepal, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu said the Government of India will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure the wellbeing of Nepali students in India.
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