{"id":247775,"date":"2025-02-27T08:43:08","date_gmt":"2025-02-27T08:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/27\/we-have-roti-beti-ka-rishta-with-india-since-the-ramayan-era-kiit-students-father-demands-justice\/"},"modified":"2025-02-27T08:43:08","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T08:43:08","slug":"we-have-roti-beti-ka-rishta-with-india-since-the-ramayan-era-kiit-students-father-demands-justice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/27\/we-have-roti-beti-ka-rishta-with-india-since-the-ramayan-era-kiit-students-father-demands-justice\/","title":{"rendered":"We have ‘roti-beti ka rishta’ with India since the Ramayan era: KIIT student\u2019s father demands justice"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"We<\/div>\n
A locked hostel room in Bhubaneswar holds the silence of a life cut short. Once filled with dreams and ambitions, it now stands empty. The name Prakriti Lamsal<\/a>, however, echoes far beyond its walls\u2014in Odisha, where students are protesting, and in Nepal, where government officials and student communities are demanding answers.<\/p>\n

‘No action was taken on her complaints,\u2019 says grieving father<\/h2>\n

Days after Prakriti\u2019s death, her father, Sunil Lamsal<\/a>, searches for answers. He holds on to his belief that India will ensure justice. \u201cSince the era of Ramayan, both countries have maintained the roti-beti ka rishta,\u201d he told TOI over the phone from Kathmandu on Wednesday. \u201cI cannot be in Odisha for the entire duration of the probe, but I am confident that the Indian government will do what it needs to.\u201d<\/p>\n

The roti-beti ka rishta\u2014a deep connection between India and Nepal through trade and marriages\u2014has always brought people of the two countries together, Lamsal said, repeating the phrase as if to reinforce his hope. His 20-year-old daughter, Prakriti, was one such connection. A third-year computer science student at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology<\/a> (KIIT<\/a>), she had left her home in Bhairahawa, just 5 km from the Indian border near Gorakhpur, to pursue a future in India. She had promised to return as an engineer.<\/p>\n

Prakriti\u2019s family first heard about KIIT through university-led events in Kathmandu. Her cousins, Anurodh and Siddhant, were also students there\u2014she and Anurodh in computer science, Siddhant in mechanical engineering. Like many international students, she arrived with dreams of earning a degree, finding a good job, and building a better life for her family, especially for her younger brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were two things Prakriti cared about the most: becoming an engineer and looking after her nine-year-old brother, Prayas. She adored him,\u201d Lamsal said. \u201cShe wanted to get him into the best school, to shape his future. She was shy but always willing to help others. A bright career has been cut short. I have lost my daughter\u2014she wanted to set an example for others to follow. Those responsible should not go unpunished.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Complaints ignored, family left uninformed<\/h2>\n

Prakriti was usually quiet and reserved, her father recalled. But at KIIT, she had spoken up\u2014twice. She filed two complaints against a fellow student, alleging harassment. The university\u2019s response was to call both students for \u201ccounselling.\u201d Her family was never informed. \u201cNo action was taken,\u201d Lamsal said. \u201cA firm action could have saved her.\u201dOn 16 February, just two hours before her death, Prakriti called her mother. They spoke about studies and family matters. Nothing seemed wrong. \u201cThere was no indication of the anxiety she was carrying,\u201d her father said. A few hours later, the family received the devastating news.Afterwards, protests erupted among the 1,500 Nepalese students at KIIT. More than 500 students were reportedly asked to vacate their hostels following the unrest. The Nepalese embassy intervened, sending officials to assess the situation and provide support. \u201cIf it weren\u2019t for them (the students), this may never have come to light,\u201d Lamsal said.<\/p>\n

Nepal demands accountability<\/h2>\n

On Tuesday, Nepal\u2019s Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli spoke to Prakriti\u2019s parents. He promised them what little could still be offered\u2014attention, intervention, and the weight of Nepal\u2019s diplomatic and legal resources. \u201cThis news has deeply saddened me. It has brought grief to all of us. We cannot change what has happened. It was an unfortunate event\u2026 An investigation is underway,\u201d he told them over the phone. He placed his trust in Indian authorities and assured the family that justice would be done.<\/p>\n

Prakriti\u2019s father, holding back tears, responded. \u201cMany Nepali children are studying in India. We do not want such incidents to recur. Our government must take proactive steps in this matter,\u201d he said. He thanked the Prime Minister, but his words carried both gratitude and urgency\u2014a plea for action. Oli repeated what he had said earlier: \u201cNepal is watching this case.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another call followed. Nepal\u2019s Foreign Minister, Arzu Rana Deuba, spoke to Odisha\u2019s Chief Minister, Mohan Charan Majhi. She used different words but sought the same thing\u2014an \u201cimpartial investigation, legal action, accountability.\u201d Nepal\u2019s National Human Rights Commission also urged its Indian counterpart to investigate Prakriti\u2019s death and ensure that it would not fade into a forgotten case file.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are waiting, watching,\u201d Lamsal said. \u201cNepal is too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inputs from TOI <\/em>
<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A locked hostel room in Bhubaneswar holds the silence of a life cut short. Once filled with dreams and ambitions, it now stands empty. The name Prakriti Lamsal, however, echoes far beyond its walls\u2014in Odisha, where students are protesting, and in Nepal, where government officials and student communities are demanding answers. ‘No action was taken […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":247776,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img.etimg.com\/photo\/msid-118598491,imgsize-1080168.cms","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[602],"tags":[192097,269,9526,7177,273,192096,9589,192094,187888,192098,187826,188796,187890,192095,188330,10486,23021,192099,3928],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247775"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247775"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":247777,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247775\/revisions\/247777"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/247776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}