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- At least 10 Indian or Indian American students have died on US campuses since January 2023.
- Deaths include suspected homicides, accidents, and cases with undetermined causes.
- Incidents have raised safety concerns for international and domestic students in the US.
Tragic Series of Student Deaths in the US
The recent spate of deaths involving Indian and Indian American students in the United States has cast a spotlight on the safety of students on US campuses. With at least 10 students having lost their lives under various mysterious circumstances since January 2023, the incidents range from suspected homicides to tragic accidents.
Among the deceased is Paruchuri Abhijit, a 23-year-old engineering student from Andhra Pradesh, whose body was discovered in a forest in Boston, raising suspicions of a robbery gone wrong. Sameer Kamath, a doctoral student at Purdue University, tragically ended his life with a self-inflicted gunshot. Neel Acharya, another Purdue student, was found dead near an airport, with the cause of death pending toxicology results.
Shreyas Reddy Benigeri, a 19-year-old business student, was found deceased in Cincinnati with no foul play suspected. Vivek Saini, a 25-year-old MBA student, was the victim of a fatal attack by a homeless man in Georgia. Akul Dhawan, an 18-year-old student in Illinois, died on campus, possibly due to hypothermia, leading his parents to file a lawsuit alleging police negligence.
Other cases include Aaditya Adlakha, found shot in a car; Jude Chacko, who was shot in the forehead during a suspected robbery; Veera Saiesh, killed in a robbery at a gas station; and Devsish Nandepu, who was shot by armed robbers in Chicago.
These incidents have not only caused grief but also raised alarms over the safety and well-being of students, prompting a closer examination of the vulnerabilities they face while studying abroad.
