Exemplary action needs to be taken against the management of a private university in Odisha for the initial attempts to cover up the suicide of a young student from Nepal, compounded by the absolutely insane and insensitive remarks about the turnover of the University exceeding the GDP of Nepal, and the expulsion of hundreds of students from the campus. It is only when MLAs from both the BJP and the Congress raised the issue in the Odisha Assembly, that the University retracted and offered a weak apology saying that they do not support the action taken by their staff ‘in their individual capacity’.
The death by suicide of a young girl living far away from her parents should have struck the conscience of the KIIT University authorities. The protest from her compatriots was quite natural and spontaneous, but rather than talk to the students and commiserate with them in their hour of grief, it took a step that has caused great damage to the fragile people-to-people relationship between the two neighbours. That the Foreign Minister of Nepal has issued a very strong statement was on expected lines. In fact, the EAM and Home Minister of India may also reach out to their counterparts in the Himalayan Kingdom and assure them that this one-off aberration is not representative of the general attitude of students and faculty in this country.
It is also important to mention here that among all the students and youth organisations in the country, it was only the ABVP which came out in support of the students from Nepal. This would have also spurred the Odisha Government to get their house in order. It is however surprising that neither the NSUI, nor the left affiliated student organisations issued any statement, forget about sending their volunteers to offer support to the students. A few decades ago, the leading students’ unions of the country – from JNUSU to DUSU to the BHUSU and AMUSU would have raised their voice of protest. It bears recall that many leaders who now occupy important positions in the polity of Nepal are products of the Indian education system, especially the BHU which continues to hold a hallowed position in the education firmament of Nepal
As Uttarakhand is host to students from several nationalities, it is imperative that we set a system in place where the colleges and universities are counselled to ensure that all students, irrespective of their gender, feel absolutely safe and secure. Then, and only then will Uttarakhand, especially Dehradun, be able to proudly proclaim itself as the preferred education destination for higher education with a global outreach.
