By Sunil Jena, Editor-in-Chief, The Politics Odia
Bhubaneswar: For the third time in a single year, a student has been found dead inside KIIT University, Bhubaneswar. This time, it is Rahul Yadav, a first-year Computer Science student from Chhattisgarh. His body was found hanging inside the hostel room, and the circumstances around his death have again raised serious questions on safety, transparency, and responsibility inside one of India’s well-known private universities.
According to his mother, Rahul did not die by himself. She has openly said that her son has been killed. Whether this is true or not, only a proper investigation can tell. But this statement from a grieving mother shows the level of fear, doubt, and mistrust that exists today.
This is not the first time such an incident has happened in KIIT. In the last few months, two Nepali female students also lost their lives on the campus. Their cases created huge concern across Odisha and even in Delhi. A special team from the Odisha Government visited KIIT. The National Human Rights Commission also looked into the matter. But even after all this, clear answers have not come out.
The death of another student now raises the same question again—why are students repeatedly dying on one campus?
In the earlier case of Nepali student Prakriti Lama, her parents had said their daughter was strong, focused, and mentally stable. According to them, she could not have taken her own life. They demanded a high-level investigation and requested the police to find the truth. Even today, that matter is still under the Government’s high-level committee. There has been no conclusion.
Meanwhile, the reaction from political leaders has also been strong. MLA Saroj Padhy had earlier said that the KIIT administration looks completely careless. According to him, no institution in Odisha should be allowed to operate in a way that harms the state’s reputation. The Government has also said that if KIIT is found guilty in any matter, strict action will be taken.
Now, after Rahul Yadav’s death, a bigger question stands in front of everyone:
When systems can be managed, when leaders can be influenced, when attention can be diverted can the pain of a mother be managed too?
A mother who has lost her son can never get him back. No explanation, no official statement, and no political support can fill that emptiness.
In this situation, the responsibility lies with the university, the police, and the state administration to ensure a clear, unbiased, and transparent investigation. Parents from across India send their children to Bhubaneswar with trust. That trust cannot be broken again and again.
Today, Rahul’s mother wants only one thing — the truth.
The question is: Will she ever get it?
