Bhubaneswar: In a bid to erase fear among foreign students studying in Odisha, the state government on Thursday launched a dedicated International Student Facilitation Cell to assist foreign students across public, private and deemed universities, the higher education department said.

The cell aims to foster an inclusive and supportive environment for international students, providing guidance, assistance, cultural integration and grievance redressal, the department said in an official statement.

A helpline (0674-2323403, 0674-2323404) has also been set up for students to seek assistance between 10:30 AM and 5:30 PM on working days, it added.

The move comes in the wake of the alleged suicide of a Nepalese BTech student at KIIT University on February 16 and the subsequent uproar over the incident.

The 20-year-old student from the neighbouring country, pursuing a computer science degree, was found dead in her hostel room.

Reports suggest that she had previously lodged a complaint with the university's International Relations Office (IRO), but it was allegedly not addressed.