Yet another Indian student dies in US, initial probe rules out foul play

NEW YORK: In yet another tragic incident, an Indian student died in Boston and initial investigation has ruled out any foul play, officials said on Monday. “Deeply saddened to learn about the unfortunate demise of Mr. Abhijeeth Paruchuru, an Indian student in Boston,” the Consulate General of India in New York said in a post on X. Paruchuru’s parents are based in Connecticut and are in direct touch with detectives. Initial investigations rule out foul play, the consulate said.

The consulate said it “rendered assistance in documentation and transportation of his mortal remains to India” and it remains in touch with local authorities as well as the Indian-American community in the matter. According to sources, 20-year-old Paruchuru's last rites have already been performed in his hometown Tenali in Andhra Pradesh. US-based nonprofit organisation TEAM Aid had helped to bring his mortal remains to India.

Since the beginning of 2024, there have been at least half a dozen deaths of Indian and Indian-origin students in the US. The alarming rise in the number of attacks has caused concern among the community. In March, Amarnath Ghosh, a 34-year-old trained classical dancer from India and a student of Washington University, was shot dead in St Louis, Missouri. Kuchipudi and Bharatnatyam dancer Ghosh migrated to the US from West Bengal last year “to follow his dancing dreams”. He was shot several times near the border of St Louis' Academy and Central West End neighbourhoods. He died on the spot.

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2024: Death cases of Indian students in US

Sameer Kamath, a 23-year-old Indian-American student at Purdue University, was found dead in a nature preserve in Indiana on February 5. On February 2, Vivek Taneja, a 41-year-old Indian-origin IT executive, suffered life-threatening injuries during an assault outside a restaurant in Washington, making it the seventh death of an Indian or Indian-American in recent months in the US.

A week before that, Syed Mazahir Ali, an Indian student was attacked by robbers in Chicago. Earlier, 25-year-old Indian student Vivek Saini was fatally attacked in Georgia State’s Lithonia city by a homeless drug addict. In January, 19-year-old Shreyas Reddy Beniger, a student at the Lindner School of Business in Ohio State was found dead. However, local authorities had ruled out foul play.

Another Indian student, identified as Neel Acharya at Purdue University, Indiana, was confirmed dead days after being reported missing on January 28. Akul B Dhawan, an 18-year-old at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, was found dead last month with signs of hypothermia. The series of attacks on Indians and Indian origin person/students had prompted the officials of the Indian Embassy in Washington and its consulates at various places to hold a virtual interaction with Indian students from across the US, discussing various aspects of student well-being and ways to stay connected with the larger diaspora.

About 150 Indian Student Association office bearers and students from 90 US universities participated in the interaction led by Charge d’Affaires, Ambassador Sripriya Ranganathan. It was also attended by the Consul Generals of India in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco and Seattle.