With more Indians than ever before, a cloud that hangs over US campuses: the 10 who died

The Indian Express pieced together the 10 deaths, the circumstances in which each took place, and the progress of the investigations.

Indian students killed in the US

On March 11, 2023, the body of Paruchuri Abhijit, 20, was found inside an abandoned vehicle in a forest on the Boston University campus. A resident of Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur, Paruchuri was pursuing engineering from the university from 2022 and shared an accommodation with a classmate. His body was repatriated from New York to Vijayawada on March 15, 2023.

While the motive behind his death remains ambiguous, local media reports had suggested a financial dispute with fellow students and the alleged theft of his laptop. However, the perpetrators in the case are yet to be identified.

Responding to a query by The Indian Express on the status of the investigation into the murder case a few weeks ago, the Consulate General in New York said the probe is “still underway” and that they were keeping track of all developments related to the case.

Over a month after Paruchuri’s death, on April 20, 2023, Andhra Pradesh resident Veera Saiesh, 24, was shot at a fuel station in Columbus, Ohio, at 12.50 am. According to Ohio police, Veera, who was pursuing his Master’s degree, succumbed to his injuries.

Veera’s brother Veera Venkatesh told The Indian Express, “Though my brother’s body was repatriated to India, all his belongings are still with the (Columbus) police,’’ he says.

The teenager who fatally shot Veera, will now spend at least two decades behind bars. Darren Christian, who was 17 at the time of the incident, had earlier pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including involuntary manslaughter. In July last year, he was sentenced to serve 20-25.5 years in prison, as per local media reports.

Months after Veera’s shooting, on October 29, 2023, Varun Raj Pucha, 24, a resident of Khammam district, was stabbed at a fitness centre in Indiana. Varun, who was pursuing a Master’s degree in computer science from Valparaiso University from August 2022, succumbed to his injuries on November 8, 2023.

According to the police, Jordan Andrade, 24, has been charged with attempted murder. He reportedly told the police that he did not know Varun but felt “threatened” by him.

Stating that justice has “eluded them” despite the assailant being arrested, Varun’s father Ram Murthy says, “Jordan has changed his plea from not guilty to guilty but mentally ill. The long wait for justice and closure has been really painful.”

With many Indian students getting admission in universities in smaller, less diverse US cities and towns, worries have been raised over their assimilation despite institutions having programmes and peer support networks for international students.

On whether Indian students have to exercise caution, given that many of them had fallen victims to unrelated incidents of crime, a spokesperson of the US Embassy in New Delhi told The Indian Express on January 14, “US universities and colleges work diligently to ensure a safe and secure environment for their students. We advise Indian students to stay informed about their surroundings, utilise campus safety resources, and follow the guidance provided by their institutions. While the United States is generally a safe place to study, it is always prudent to exercise caution and be aware of local safety measures.”

Stating that the US Embassy maintains close communication with India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) regarding the safety and well-being of Indian students, the spokesperson said. We work collaboratively to ensure that investigations into any incidents are thorough and transparent. Families are kept informed about the progress of these investigations, and we provide support to ensure they have access to necessary information and resources.”

Yet, for the families, many of whom would have taken loans to send their children abroad, grappling with the sudden loss of their loved ones is especially harder given the distance and the lack of clarity over the incidents.

Stating that the Telugu Association of North America, the Indian government and the Telangana government helped bring his son’s body back to India, Varun’s father adds, “I worked very hard to ensure that Varun and his sister got a good education. Though I sent Varun to the US for a Master’s degree, fate had other plans. I have repaid most of my loans (incurred for Varun’s education) using my savings.”

A day after Varun’s death, Aaditya Adlakha, 26, a fourth-year molecular and developmental biology doctoral student at the University of Cincinnati, was shot inside a car in Ohio on November 9, 2023. Taken to a hospital in a critical condition, Aaditya died two days later.

From mistaken identity, drug overdose, refusal to give free food, reasons behind the deaths varied.

According to the police, there were three bullet holes in the vehicle near the driver’s side. Though an investigation is underway, no arrests have been made yet.

Months later, on January 15, 2024, G Dinesh, 22, from Wanaparthy in Telangana, and Nikesh, 21, a resident of Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh, were found dead at their shared accommodation in Connecticut. While Dinesh had arrived in the US for higher studies on December 28, 2023, Nikesh landed there a few days later. Since both had mutual friends, they decided to become roommates in Connecticut. Their families say they are still clueless about the cause of their deaths.

A day after the duo was found dead, on January 16, 2024, Vivek Saini, 25, a Haryana resident, was killed by a homeless man at the Georgia convenience store where he worked. Julian Faulkner reportedly used a hammer to attack Vivek, an MBA student in Georgia’s Lithonia, for refusing to give him free food.

Vivek’s father Gurjeet Saini, a farmer, claims the authorities in Georgia had “initially refused” to send Vivek’s body home. Gurjeet says, “His friends and Indians there lodged a strong protest. The matter reached the local Indian Embassy. Finally, his remains were sent to India.”

Vivek’s body reached his house in Bhagwanpur village in Panchkula district a week later, on January 25, 2024.

Lamenting the “lack of any concrete progress” in the case in Georgia, Gurjeet says, “Since the day my son was killed in Georgia and the man responsible was arrested, only three hearings have taken place.”

His younger son Shivam, who is pursuing law degree and is in touch with a Georgia-based government prosecutor, told The Indian Express, “Though we have been receiving updates via email on hearing dates and minutes, the murder trial is yet to start.”

Over a month after Vivek’s death, on February 27, 2024, Amarnath Ghosh, 34, was shot in St Louis, Missouri. A trained classical dancer from West Bengal’s Suri, Amarnath was pursuing his Master’s at Washington University.

“Many Indians, especially students, are exposed to gun violence in the US,”says brother of a student killed in America.

Christine Bertelson, Public Information Officer, St Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office, told The Indian Express that Glenn Bailey has been charged with first-degree murder in the case. The police say Glenn was earlier convicted for robbery, assault and unlawful use of a weapon.

The police added that Amarnath, who was out for a jog at the time of the incident, was shot dead at an intersection where Glenn and his two accomplices were reportedly selling drugs.

Months later, in the early hours of November 30, 2024, Sai Teja Nukarapu, 22, was manning the cash counter at a convenience store attached to a fuel station in Wisconsin, when he was shot dead by unknown assailants in a suspected robbery bid.

Sai, a resident of Khammam, Telangana, had arrived in the US just three months earlier to pursue an MBA from Concordia University. As per the preliminary information shared by the US authorities, Sai had already finished his shift at the store that day and was simply filling in for someone else.

While Sai’s body was sent home to Khammam, many from his family, including his sister, who is pursuing her Master’s degree from Chicago, are based in the US.

Reassurances on safety

In the wake of these incidents, Eric Garcetti, the former US Ambassador to India, had in February 2024 sought to give reassurances regarding the safety of Indian students in his country. “We are very committed to making sure that Indians know that the United States is a wonderful place to study and to be safe,” he had said, highlighting the “shared responsibility” of both nations in addressing such incidents.

Taking note of these deaths, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had called the cases “a big concern” for the government.

Responding to media queries, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said in April 2024, “Since January (2024), some 10-odd Indian students have passed away. In one case (Vivek Saini), it was a case of homicide which was registered against a person who was a vagrant. Thereafter, there was a case in which a person was shot at. So these are two cases which are being investigated from the point of view of law and order, and we are pushing very hard.”

Stating that Indian consulates and missions in the US had strengthened their student outreach, Jaiswal had said the reasons for these incidents were “multi-causal in nature”. Pointing at “some community issues also”, he had said, “There are cases which have happened on account of suicide and other related, mental illness related issues. That is why we want to reach out to the student community and provide them comfort.”

Following allegations by Indian students that some of these deaths were linked to “increased threats and discrimination”, the Indian Embassy held virtual sessions for students in February 2024. Attended by students from 90 universities, these sessions were led by Deputy Ambassador Sripriya Ranganathan in Washington DC, and attended by the Consul Generals in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco and Seattle.

Meanwhile, back home, families that spent their life’s savings, even taken loans, to send these students abroad, are yet to find closure. Talking to The Indian Express, Veera’s brother Venkatesh says they had taken a loan of Rs 15 lakh to send him abroad. “We repaid the loan from our savings, etc.,’’ he says.

Batting for “gun control”, Venkatesh says, “Many Indians, especially students, are exposed to gun violence in the US. The US government should institute total gun control. In honour of persons shot dead at fuel stations or stores — where they were just trying to make ends meet — the local government should declare a 50 to 100-metre-radius as a gun-free zone. Each time we hear about an Indian student getting killed in the US, the nightmare returns.”