Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday spoke with two Nepali counsellors and assured them of justice for the family of the student who committed suicide at the KIIT campus on Sunday.

Majhi, who is currently in Rajasthan, spoke over the phone with officials from Nepal, Sanjeeb Das Sharma and Navin Raj Adhikari, and assured that peace and normalcy would be restored on the KIIT campus.

“The chief minister also assured them that justice will be served in the case of the deceased KIIT student, Prakriti Lamsal,” a CMO statement said.

The officials from Nepal also held a meeting with Odisha parliamentary affairs minister Mukesh Mahaling and higher education minister Suryabanshi Suraj, along with chief secretary Manoj Ahuja at the state guest house here during the day on the evolving situation.

The two Nepali officials also inspected the KIIT campus and met university officials. They also spoke to Nepali students about their concerns and safety.

Besides, Nepal’s foreign minister Dr Arzu Rana Deuba also spoke with Suryabanshi Suraj over the phone on the issue.

Around 1,000 Nepalese students of KIIT were issued suspension notices and asked to leave the campus immediately by the institute’s authorities on Monday following protests after the body of student Prakriti Lamsal, was found hanging from the ceiling of her hostel room on Sunday.

The issue acquired international dimensions after the intervention of Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

The Nepal government was aggrieved over the issue of some KIIT officials making derogatory remarks against the students while evicting them from the hostels. The university has reportedly said that it will not issue no-objection certificates to students who want to pursue their studies in Odisha if the situation arising out of the student’s death is not resolved in a justifiable and legal way.

However, following the intervention of the Centre and the state government, the KIIT authorities tendered an apology and requested the Nepali students to return to the campus.

Advik Srivastava, the third year B Tech student accused of having abetted the Prakriti’s suicide, is in judicial custody. He was arrested on the basis of the complaint filed by the deceased’s cousin Siddhant Sigdel under section 108 of the BNS.

The KIIT has announced to bear the travel expenses of Nepali students returning to the university.

“We have already opened a dedicated 24-hour helpline for this purpose. The students are returning to the campus. They have also attended the class today (Wednesday),” said Sradhanjali Nayak, PR director, KIIT.

Registrar, KIIT, Gyanaranjan Mohanty, said: “We have taken strict actions, extended full support to the investigations, and are ensuring the safety and well being of Nepali students. We urge every one to support a peaceful academic environment.”

The high-level team, which was constituted by the Odisha government to look into the issue of harassment cases, has started gathering information on the case from all quarters.

Additional reporting by PTI