Bhubaneswar: Odisha in particular and India in general have been shamed due to the ugly incident in the Bhubaneswar-based Kalinga Institute of Industrial Training (KIIT) on February 16. It has snowballed into a major issue with international ramification and impact on India’s diplomatic relation with a neighbouring country Nepal.
This is perhaps the third such incident—after the child sale episode of Kalahandi in the 1980’s and Dana Majhi incident some years ago—that Odisha has come into international news focus and will remain in public memory for long.
An uneasy calm prevails in the campus of one of Odisha’s prestigious institutes. The authorities of the varsity and the state Government are trying their best to correct the wrongs but the damage has been done and people’s trust is unlikely to return in near future. An institute that enrolled students from several countries is bound to face the brunt till such time it re-infuses faith in people’s mind with proper corrective measures in place.
The incident has exposed its inherent complacent attitude. If the varsity authorities had taken care of the complaint of the girl seriously, this would have never happened. The casual approach of the senior functionaries speaks volumes about the internal mechanism of the institution.
The incident has put Odisha government in a very embarrassing situation. Notwithstanding the assurance of the Chief Minister Mohan Majhi or the Higher Education Minister Suryavanshi Suraj, the Nepalese student, who lost one of their fellow girl students in a tragic circumstance, need to be assured of not justice for the deceased but proper behaviour from the varsity authorities for all the time in future. It will require a lot of determination for those who matter in the university. It is also time for the State Government to keep a tab on the activities of the private educational institutions seriously. There is no point in beating the mark after a snake has passed through.
It was still more disturbing watching panellists on local television shows trying to defend the varsity and blaming the students for such incidents also. These panellists perhaps do not know how serious diplomatic challenges for the Indian government it has brought. The reputation of KIIT has now touched the lowest ebb following the recent incident and foreign students would think several times before taking admission in the institution.
The Nepalese Government has threatened to rethink its ‘No Objection’ policy for students desirous of taking admission into the institution after the incident.
The incident has also stirred the public consciousness and shocked the intelligentsia as to how an institute of the reputation of KIIT& KISS university could be so insensitive and deploy officials to handle the issue in such a casual manner. The ability of the authorities, including the Founder and Vice Chancellor to handle such a situation, is now under question.
The issue assumes serious proportions when several former students speak highhandedness of varsity authorities in the campus always attempt to suppress serious issues concerning the students welfare.
The varsity, they allege, has been hiring local goons in different departments and in the security set up to coerce the students, including those from outside the State.
According to them, the inept handling of the issue has exposed the insensitivity of the varsity authorities towards such incidents in the campus. The silence of the Founder of KIIT & KISS deemed to be University Achyut Samant is baffling. A person who never missed an opportunity to grab media glare, has not come forth or tender any apology. Remember he was a people’s representative in the Parliament.
Suicide by students in any educational institution is not uncommon. But instilling faith in the mind of the people that it is being handled properly is the most important factor.
The age of social media, the institution cannot escape public glare or scrutiny.
After the recent case, the public clamour is for the safety and wellbeing of the tribal students in KISS. KIIT need to reorganise its set up, have sensitive people to take care of students’ issues and not depend on mainstream media to highlight its good aspects.
