Bhubaneswar: The state government has asked Achyuta Samanta, the founder of KIIT, to appear before the high-level committee conducting probe into the issue of the alleged suicide of a Nepali girl student at the institute and subsequent harassment of other students of the neighbouring country by the varsity authorities.

The Higher Education department of the state government has asked Samanta, a former Lok Sabha MP from Kandhamal, to appear before the committee on February 21 (Friday).

Samanta has been asked to appear before the fact-finding committee at the State Guest House in the capital city here at 6.30 pm on February 21.

Besides, the former MP has been asked to produce all documents in connection with the issue.

The state government had constituted a three-member committee comprising Additional Chief Secretary of Home Department, Principal Secretary of Women and Child Development Department and Commissioner-cum-Secretary of Higher Education Department to probe the issue.

A third year BTech girl student from Nepal allegedly died by suicide at KIIT some days ago. The girl student allegedly took the extreme step after she was subjected to harassment by a boy student of the institute.

The varsity authorities had asked students from Nepal to vacate the campus after they launched an agitation seeking justice for the girl students.

Taking the issue seriously, Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli urged the Union as well as Odisha government to take appropriate action in this regard.