Continue with Google
KATHMANDU, June 17: Prakriti Lamsal would have turned 21 today. Tragically, she is no longer among us. In a harrowing incident that shook the nation and made Nepali parents rethink their aspirations of sending their wards to foreign countries for higher education, she was found hanging by a shawl in her hostel room in Kalinga Institute Information Technology (KIIT) University on February 16 after persistent abuse and threats by her former boyfriend Advik Srivastava.
The negligence of the university in heeding and addressing Prakriti’s repeated pleas for help aside, recently, Srivastava was surprisingly released on a bail of INR 100,000 by an Indian Court even after Indian police furnished strong evidence suggesting his role in forcing Prakriti to take the unfortunate decision to end her own life. Multiple Nepali politicians have flocked to Lamsal’s family after the incident offering hollow promises of justice, only to go incognito amidst the apparent helplessness in questioning the Indian authorities.
Prakriti’s father Sunil Lamsal, even after the clear negligence from the University authorities, haplessness of the court and lack of support from the state, still rages on a quest of justice for her daughter. He told Republica that his family has received no assistance from the state in his fight for justice.
“We have neither experienced support from the state nor felt that the state has invested any effort in assisting us in this case,” Sunil said, “All we received was hollow promises from the state and multiple politicians.”
Father's Day: Following in my Dad's Footsteps, Together
He explained that the recent decision of the Indian court to release the main accused Srivastava on bail has piled misery on his pain. But the silence of Nepali politicians and lack of communication with the family following the decision has heaped more agony on his family.
“Following the silence from the state’s side, I have reached out to Foreign Minister Arzu Rana and attempted to draw attention to the case,” Sunil said, “Since she did not follow through on her previous promises, we have also filed an application at the National Human Rights Commission fearing that the main accused might walk free from the punishment he deserves.”
Sunil slammed the KIIT University authorities for neglecting his daughter’s multiple appeals for help, claiming that its negligence was the major reason behind the inability to stop Prakriti from taking the unfortunate decision.
“If the university had taken swift action on the complaints from my daughter, perhaps she would still be alive,” he said, “The institution in itself is at fault for my daughter’s death.”
Amidst all this powerlessness, Sunil still hopes to receive justice from the Indian authorities if the the Nepali Embassy in India and Indian authorities play an active part in his quest of justice for his daughter.
“I have to be hopeful. Even when our daughter is gone, she could still receive justice” he said. “The authorities that can help advance our cause, namely the Nepali Embassy and Indian authorities, have to play an active part to ensure justice for Prakriti.”
Sunil’s hope does not simply restrict to his case. He also hopes that Prakriti’s case encourages Nepali children to communicate more with their parents, which would avoid similar cases in the future.
