Shattered Dreams: Promise of a Better Life Has Been Short-lived for Many Indian Students in the U.S.

Within a short period of 5 months since October 2023, there have been 9 Indian and Indian-American origin students who have either been killed or have died, and one grievously injured in an unprovoked attack, leaving the minority community devastated and looking for answers.

The United States is home to many prestigious universities and colleges known for their high academic standards, cutting-edge research facilities, and renowned faculty members. Whether students are interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields, liberal arts, business, or the humanities, they can find programs tailored to their preferences.

Graduating from a U.S. university can enhance a student’s domestic and international career prospects. Many employers value the skills, knowledge, and cultural experiences gained through U.S. education, making graduates more competitive in the global job market. The promise of these positive outcomes has drawn Indian students to seek higher education in American universities and colleges.

To provide some statistics, according to the Open Doors Report (ODR) released in November 2023, the number of international students from India to the United States increased by 35 percent and resulted in an all-time high of 268,923 students in academic year 2022-23, compared to the previous year. Indian students constitute more than 25 percent of the over one million foreign students studying in the United States. The number of Indian graduate students rose by 63 percent to 165,936 students, an increase of nearly 64,000 students, compared to 2022, while Indian undergraduate students also increased by 16 percent. The data also showed India leading in the number of individuals (69,062) who pursued optional practical training (OPT), a type of temporary work permission that allows eligible students to get real-world experience related to their field of study.

Systemic Failures at Multiple Levels

Unfortunately, the promise of a better life has been short-lived for many Indian students with their shocking deaths, some under mysterious circumstances.

There have been concerns raised by parents of these students about the lack of responsibility or urgency shown by college administrators. What’s abysmal is the perceived apathy of the Indian consulates  in asking tough questions and holding these universities and local authorities accountable for the safety and security of the Indian students here.

Just in the last 5 months at least nine Indian or Indian-American students have died:

1. Varun Raj Pucha (24), a Computer Science student at Valparaiso University, Indiana, was stabbed in the head by fellow gym-goer Jordan Andrade as he reportedly found him “a little weird.” Varun succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at a hospital a few days later in October 2023. (read)

2. Aaditya Adlakha (26),  pursuing a PhD at the University of Cincinnati Medical School, Ohio, was shot dead in his car. He succumbed to his injuries two days after he was discovered with several gunshot wounds inside a vehicle that had slammed into a wall in Western Hills, a neighborhood in Ohio’s Cincinnati, on 9 November 9, 2023. 

3. Gattu Dinesh (22) and Nikesh (21), pursuing master’s degrees in computer science at the University of Sacred Heart, Connecticut, were found unresponsive by local friends visiting their residence in January 2024. The suspected cause of death was a gas leak, but according to Sainath’s uncle Dinesh – “The cause is still unknown,” reported to TOI at that time. (read)

4. Vivek Saini (25), was a MBA student at the Alabama University, Lithonia, Georgia. He was brutally killed by a homeless person James Faulkner, by repeatedly striking him with a hammer inside a store on January 16, 2024. The heinous murder was captured on CCTV, showing Juan Faulkner, hitting Vivek Saini with a hammer nearly 50 times. (read)

5. Akul Dhawan (18), an engineering student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois went missing on January 20, 2024, just before 1:30 am. After 10 hours, he was found dead on the back porch of a building near the university campus in west Urbana. Akul’s parents have alleged that the university’s police department was negligent. “This is bizarre, that a kid is never found who was just less than a block, like one minute away, sitting there, dead, frozen to death,” Ish Dhawan, his father, told the News-Gazette. “Imagine what’s going through in our mind as a dad and mom. I visualize every minute that my son froze to death on a university campus.” “We need answers,” his mother said. “What is the proof that they searched in this area, around the area they’re talking (about), this half-block? My kid would have been found.” (read)

6. Neel Acharya (19), Pursuing a double major in computer science and data science at the prestigious Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, was found dead at 500 Allison Road in West Lafayette about 11:30 a.m. on January 28, 2024, after police were called to investigate an unresponsive body near the labs. Tippecanoe County Coroner Carrie Costello released a statement indicating a forensic pathologist found no trauma on his body and that foul play was not suspected in the death. His preliminary cause of death and manner of death are pending toxicology results. (read)

7. Shreyas Reddy Benigeri (19), was a student of the Lindner School of Business, Cincinnati. The Consulate General of India in New York said on February 1, 2024, that no foul play was suspected at that stage, in the death of Shreyas.

8. Sameer Kamath (23), a doctoral student in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, was found dead at the Crow’s Grove Nature Preserve around 5 pm (local time) on February 5, 2024. A forensic pathologist’s autopsy was performed on the student’s body, indicating he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Warren County Coroner Justin Brummett’s preliminary autopsy reports. (read)

9. Syed Mazahir Ali, pursuing a Master’s degree at Indiana Wesleyan University, Chicago was brutally attacked around 1:18 am by unknown assailants on February 4, 2024 as he was returning back home. In a recorded message right after the attack, Syed, seen bleeding profusely from his face, recounted that the attackers rained punches on his eye and blows to his face, ribs and back. The robbers fled and made off with his wallet and mobile phone. 

10. A shocking incident that took place in Washington, D.C., on February 2, 2024 when Vivek Taneja (41), an IT executive and co-founder/president of Dynamo Technologies was attacked, knocked to the ground and hit his head on the pavement, after an altercation outside a restaurant. Vivek succumbed to his injuries and died on February 7, 2024 in the hospital.

The Road Ahead

The Indian civilization has, for millennia, been a knowledge-seeking civilization which is evident even now with hundreds of thousands of Indians coming to the U.S. for higher education. In many cases, the families of these young students spend their entire life-savings to have their children educated in prestigious U.S. campuses.

The shock of hearing about their child’s death and in some cases their murder in a distant country devastates them, especially when it would have been preventable.

As in the case of Akul where his body was found just 500 feet from his last known location casts a doubt on the search conducted by the campus police in locating him in a timely manner, to save his life. Furthermore, Sameer Kamath was driven to suicide which perhaps could have been avoided, had counseling services been available to him.

With the increasing number of students coming from India to the U.S., the concerns of racist attacks on them have a propensity to increase. For example, Varun was stabbed to death just because he seemed “a little weird”. 

Racism Incidents in 2022

Statistics provided by U.S. Department of Justice, show a staggering 59% of the total number of recorded hate crimes in the U.S. in the year 2022 were attributed to Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry. Of the known offenders 51% were White, 21% were Black or African-American and others were Race Unknown.

College administrators have a responsibility to provide an optimal  environment to students coming from abroad. It must be free from racism, verbal and physical intimidation. Second, focused and ongoing counseling must be made accessible to all students coming from abroad to help adapt to their college campus life and to their new country to adjust to a life so far away from their families and their country.

Third, outside of campuses, the local authorities and elected representatives from the government also need to step up to  protect the Indian American minority community, which through its perseverance and hard work has contributed tremendously to the U.S. success story as is evident by many Indian-origin leaders in diverse fields of technology, medicine, law, government etc. Finally, the offices of the Consulate General of India must provide strong support and follow up for the devastated families when their child is missing or deceased.  

What should parents do? Teach their child how to be safe on campus and refrain from alcohol and illicit drugs. Indian communities should provide support to needy immigrant students.

The U.S. prides itself as being the beacon of hope for millions of people globally looking for a better life here with the promise of security, free speech, fair treatment and equal opportunity. How the situation unfolds with respect to Indian and Indian-American youth losing their lives, and the urgent remedial steps needed to be brought in by the concerned authorities will determine if the U.S. is able to deliver on that promise it has made to the world.

---

Deepak Bajaj is a resident of San Francisco Bay Area for over two decades. An avid photographer with liberal views, he likes to dabble in citizen journalism on topics pertaining to the Indian American community in California.