Some of the deaths this year include the murder of Vivek Saini, the suicide of Sameer Kamath, and the deaths of Neel Acharya and and Akul Dhawan
The Indian community in the US is reeling from the recent string of sudden deaths among Indian students across American universities this month. The circumstances surrounding these tragic events vary, with one student losing his life in a shocking murder, another succumbing to suicide, and several deaths remaining unexplained. Numerous questions linger, leaving the community grappling with uncertainty and seeking answers.
Some of the deaths this year include the brutal murder of Vivek Saini, the suicide of Sameer Kamath, the mysterious demise of Neel Acharya, and Akul Dhawan’s death due to hypothermia.
‘You always have to be situationally aware’
In the aftermath of the recent deaths, Indian students studying in the US spoke with Hindustan Times about their concerns.
Kajari Saha, 28, from the University of California, Santa Barbara, said she felt a “sense of alienation” after learning about the incidents. “You always have to be situationally aware and surround yourself with people who feel safe to you,” she said. “I live in California, a very liberal state compared to others. However, there is a bit of racial profiling, no matter where you go.”
“Although I am mostly surrounded by friends, I can imagine how threatening it must feel for someone who lives by themselves and in the vicinity of where these incidents happened,” she added.
‘There were occasions when I felt scared to travel alone’
Vivek Saini, an MBA student in Georgia’s Lithonia, was brutally attacked and killed by a homeless man named Julian Faulkner. The gut-wrenching incident was caught on camera.
Faulkner reportedly hit Saini about 50 times on the head with a hammer. The incident took place at the Chevron Food Mart at Snapfinger and Cleveland Road.
“I first came across the news on X and it shook me to the core. I think over the past year, there has been a growing number of crimes, including some hate crimes, among different communities and unfortunately sometimes students are on the receiving end of it,” Anukta Datta, 28, also from the University of California, Santa Barbara, said.
On being asked whether Indian students in the US have reasons to feel threatened, she added, “Having lived in Michigan and California over the last six years, I think this is very subjective. Although Ann Arbor is a very buzzing and rather safe college town in the Midwest, there were still occasions when I felt scared to travel alone. These incidents can be very worrying for Indian students, mostly based on where they live and their surrounding community.”