In a tragic addition to the ever-increasing list of deaths involving Indian or Indian-origin students in the US, a student has died in Ohio, India's Consulate in New York said on Friday. Police are investigating the case.
“Deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of Mr Uma Satya Sai Gadde, an Indian student in Cleveland, Ohio,” the Consulate General of India in New York said in a post on X.
The Consulate said it continues to remain in touch with the family in India. “All possible assistance is being extended, including to transport Mr Uma Gadde's mortal remains to India at the earliest.”
There has been an alarming rise in the number of attacks on Indian and Indian-origin students in the US in the recent months, causing widespread concern in the community.
This year alone has seen at least half a dozen deaths of Indian and Indian-origin students in the US—some reports put the number as 10.
In March, Amarnath Ghosh, a 34-year-old trained classical dancer from India, was shot dead in St Louis, Missouri. Another Indian student, Mohammed Abdul Arafat, 25, from Hyderabad, went missing from the Cleveland area. His family then received a ransom call of $1200. Arafat went to the US for his masters in IT from Cleveland University in May 2023 but has been missing since March 7.
On February 2, Vivek Taneja, a 41-year-old Indian-origin IT executive, was fatally injured in an assault outside a restaurant in Washington. Three days later, Sameer Kamath, a 23-year-old Indian-American student at Purdue University, was found dead in a nature preserve in Indiana.
On January 29, Vivek Saini was brutally killed with a hammer by a homeless man inside a store in Lithonia, Georgia, while Neel Acharya, a student at Purdue University, was found dead after being missing for days.
In January, Shreyas Reddy Beniger, a 19-year-old student at the Lindner School of Business in Ohio State was found dead, while another Indian student Abhijeeth Paruchuru died in Boston in March. However, initial investigation ruled out any foul play in both the cases.
Akul B. Dhawan, an 18-year-old at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, was found dead last month with signs of hypothermia.
Earlier this year, Syed Mazahir Ali from Hyderabad, was brutally attacked in Chicago, leaving him severely injured.
The series of attacks on Indians and Indian origin persons or students has sent shockwaves among the Indian diaspora in the US. The incidents 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.