Watch: KIIT professor, staff suspended over 'feeding 40,000 students for free¡¯ remark issue apology

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.

KIIT staff's racist rant

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.

Dear friends of Nepal, these b!tches don't represent Bharat. We stand in solidarity with Prakriti and all the Nepali students fighting against the KIIT administration.pic.twitter.com/bdI1sTem2q

¡ª Indian Right Wing Community (@indianrightwing) February 17, 2025

Apology after uproar

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.

Apologies for hurting any of the sentiments of my students,brothers and sisters of Nepal@MEAIndia@PM_nepal_@DrSJaishankar@PMOIndia@MofaNepal@IndiaInNepal@EONIndia pic.twitter.com/0ftMLawxJZ

¡ª manjusha pandey (@MPandey40122) February 18, 2025

@MEAIndia@PM_nepal_@DrSJaishankar@PMOIndia@MofaNepal@IndiaInNepal@EONIndia pic.twitter.com/zPsRL0wNm8

¡ª Jayanti Nath (@JayantiNath6) February 18, 2025

What KIIT said

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.

Letter of Apology from the Vice-Chancellor, KIIT-DU

KIIT has always been a home to students from across the world, fostering a culture of inclusivity, respect, and care. We deeply regret the recent incident and reaffirm our commitment to the safety, dignity, and well-being of¡­ pic.twitter.com/mJb1Zo9jGj

¡ª KIIT - Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (@KIITUniversity) February 18, 2025

Nepal student's death rock KIIT

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.

Nepal government reacts

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¡±.

Action taken by Odisha State Government in the tragic death of Nepali student at KIIT pic.twitter.com/HSwTY6wRVd

¡ª IndiaInNepal (@IndiaInNepal) February 18, 2025

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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