Attacks & deaths worry Indian students in the US

These headlines about states and cities across the US since the past year have a tragic pattern – all of them hail from different parts of India.

While addressing a question on the slew of incidents on February 15, John Kirby, US National Security Council said, “There is no excuse for violence, certainly based on race or gender or religion or any other factor. That’s just unacceptable here in the United States.”

He further added that president Biden and the US administration are “working very hard” to “thwart and disrupt those kinds of attacks”.

According to Sudhanshu Kaushik, executive director of North American Association of Indian Students, an organisation that helps Indian students in various fields, the attacks are not a new phenomenon but could get worse if no measures are taken.

“Since America is a new society for many Indians, they are not always fully aware of the negatives,” he tells The PIE.

“With record-breaking students coming to the US, and many of them being spread out across the US, such incidents might continue to happen. But at the moment there’s no hard intervention taking place to address the situation,” adds Sudhanshu, who also lamented the acquittal of the Seattle police officer responsible for Kandula’s death.

“I would suggest students stay in a city that’s large or mid-tier. It’s always important they do their research before coming to the US, and have constant communication with other students.”

Marred by occurrences of violent mass shootings, with 2024 alone witnessing 44 such attacks, US-bound Indian and international students follow the ‘safety playbook’ of not being alone on the streets at night, keeping company, and using public transport services in light harrowing experiences.

Two incidents have majorly impacted Sahil Mhatre, who is pursuing Computer Science at Syracuse University.

“There was a shooting incident in our vicinity, just a few steps away from our accommodation,” Mhatre says, who adds that university officials patrolled the surroundings and made them feel safe after the incidents.

“We funnily assumed someone burst firecrackers, but when we saw police officers it made us realise the seriousness of the situation. Second, there was a break-in attempt on our house but luckily no one was there at the time.”

As the US aims to recreate its feat of issuing a million non-immigrant visas to Indians, the same as last year, in 2024, community leaders have raised alarm over reports concerning the security of Indians in the US.

“Not to exaggerate, but we deal with at least one death a day across the country and mostly among young students or H-1B employees who have recently immigrated to the U.S. from India,” said Mohan Nannapaneni, founder of nonprofit organisation TEAM Aid, in an interview with Indian news agency PTI on February 7.

Chinese students have previously been deterred from studying in the US due to gun violence.

Now warning signs like Nannapaneni are already a topic of conversation among students planning to travel to the US this year.

“The recent incidents are scary and they worry my parents too,” asserts Neha Waghchoure, who is aiming to study at UCSD.

“I have been having conversations with my friends and seniors in the US, who have had to deflect from different situations or give in to resistance from locals so that harm is done. Though I am prepared to face any adversity, things like these do make me question life in the US, the education, exposure, and more.”

When academician Sunil Kumar was inaugurated as the 14th president at Tufts University in October 2023, he reiterated his commitment towards student-centric policies at the institution which also meant taking care of their international student cohort.

“It’s tragic what has happened to students from India in the past couple of weeks, and my condolences go to the families,” Kumar tells The PIE during a visit to Mumbai.

“Every university is doing a great deal to protect the physical and mental well-being of the students. At Tufts, apart from being located in a safe city and state, our Medford campus has been ranked as one of the safest campuses in the US which says a lot about our commitment.”

Historically Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, home to India’s Telugu population, have sent thousands of students to the US.

But two separate incidents involving students from both these states highlighted growing obstacles many face on their way to the much celebrated ‘American Dream’.

Syeda Lulu Minhaj, a 38-year-old student at Trine University, was found homeless on the streets of Chicago in July 2023 with a video from July 2023 showing her under dire conditions.

In another X post from February 6, a blood-soaked student, Syed Mazahir Ali, appealed for help after being robbed and attacked by four individuals.

Amjed Ullah Khan, who serves as spokesman for muslim political party in Telangana, Majlis Bachao Tehreek, has been at the forefront of calling on the Ministry of External Affairs in India to look into these matters.

“Students in the US are living in extremely tough conditions. They are working as gig workers in the delivery sector, in mom-and-pop shops, and more to get by. It’s the job of Indian consulates in the US to counsel students in their particular cities rather than just conducting Republic Day or other festivals every year,” said Khan.

While Minhaj is under the care of her relatives in the US and going through medical treatment, Ali declined to talk to The PIE about details regarding the attack on him.

But is there a pattern that indicates hate crimes or directed attacks against Indians?

Vatsal Nahata, who has been living in the US for over six years and graduated from Yale University, believes otherwise.

“The recent happenings are super unfortunate but I would treat them as isolated incidents. The media has a role to play in how these incidents are reported,” said Vatsal.

“You also have to look at precisely how many students are coming to the US and the percentage of them being impacted by these circumstances.”

During a recent event, at the Mumbai University, organised by the United States Consulate General, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs for the US, Elizabeth Allen reiterated a similar argument.

“The US is always looking out for the safety and security of any student on their campuses. These incidents, that have come to light in recent days, don’t follow a particular pattern that might pose a threat to the students in the US,” assured Allen.

On Friday, MEA spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, stated in a weekly media briefing that Indian consulates across the US are already reaching out to students for assistance.

“Through our consulates in the US, we have done outreach with our students there, guided them. We have also told them to immediately get in touch with either the embassy or the consulates in case of any trouble or situation so that we can take care of them in a better way,” noted Jaiswal.

The MEA’s statement comes amid an investigation over PhD student Amarnath Ghosh, a dancer from Kolkata, who was shot dead in Missouri in February 2024.

Despite the debate over safety, the US remains the most popular study destination with an Open Doors Report highlighting that the number of international students from India to the US increased by 35% to 268,923 in 2022-23 compared with 199,182 in 2021-2022.

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