Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], May 3 (ANI): Two days after a Nepalese student was found dead at the KIIT University in Bhubaneswar, the relative of the deceased on Saturday urged authorities for a thorough investigation, and said that the girl student had showed no signs of distress before her death.

Speaking to ANI, Rajesh Ranjan, the relative of the deceased, said that the victim's post-mortem examination was underway and that the family of the student would cremate the mortal remains in Puri.

Sharing information, Ranjan said that the girl had recently spoken to her father and was looking forward to returning home.

'She asked her father to book a ticket to come back. She was happy to have finished her exam. There were no signs of depression,' Ranjan said.

Describing her as 'bright, ambitious, and courageous,' Ranjan emphasised that the student would have communicated with her parents had she been facing any difficulty.

'People are interpreting it wrongly,' he said, urging the public to refrain from drawing premature conclusions.

The family plans to cremate the girl in Puri and has expressed satisfaction with the cooperation extended so far by the authorities.

'The authorities are cooperating fully, and we hope this will continue through the investigation,' Ranjan added.

Highlighting the importance of open communication between students and their families, he said, 'Children should share everything with their parents so that if there is any problem, they can resolve it.'

He also called upon the government to ensure a transparent and comprehensive probe.

'I want to demand from the government that the investigation is done properly, and it should be ensured that such incidents do not happen again in the future,' he said.

Meanwhile, the mortal remains of the Nepali student, who died in KIIT University, were handed over to her family for the last rites to be held in Puri, Odisha.

The grieving parents of the Nepalese student who was found dead at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar arrived at the mortuary centre in AIIMS hospital.

Earlier in the day, a visibly upset mother of the deceased female student from Nepal said, 'We received information (about her demise) at 8:00 PM.'

The father of the Nepalese student informed that his daughter had talked to them in the afternoon, on the day of the incident.

'On the day of the incident, we had a telephone conversation with her at 3:00 PM. She talked to us nicely,' he said.

In response to the incident, the University Grant Commission (UGC) has constituted a four-member fact-finding committee under the chairmanship of the Vice Chancellor of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Nageshwar Rao, to look into the recent alleged suicide deaths at KIIT.

The committee will examine the circumstances surrounding these incidents, ensure compliance with student welfare and safety regulations, and suggest measures to prevent such incidents.

The committee also includes Shashikala Wanjari, Vice-Chancellor of the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), and HCS Rathore, Former Vice Chancellor of Central University of South Bihar, Gaya, as a member and Sunita Siwach, Joint Secretary of UGC as the coordination officer, according to a statement from UGC on Friday.

A Nepali student was found dead in her hostel room in KIIT on Thursday evening, making it the second case of a student from a neighbouring country found dead in the institute within three months.

Bhubaneswar Police Commissioner Suresh Dev Datta Singh on Friday said that following preliminary findings in the case related to the death of the Nepali girl at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), 'Prima facie, it appears to be a suicide case,' as she was found hanging in her hostel room on Thursday evening.

Providing more insights on the matter, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Bhubaneswar Jagmohan Meena stated the girl was found dead during a routine attendance check on Thursday and was found hanging inside her hostel room.

'During the investigation, it was found that when the hostel warden was taking evening attendance, one student did not respond. On checking, the girl was found hanging inside her room. She was immediately shifted to a local hospital. The body is now kept at AIIMS, and the girl's parents have been informed. The girl hailed from Nepal. She was studying B.Tech and was in her first year. No note was found in the girl's room,' he said.

Earlier in February, Prakriti Lamsal also died by suicide at the same university. (ANI)