Unsafe in the US

THE fabled American dream is turning out be a nightmare for one Indian student after another. Syed Mazahir Ali was chased and attacked by unidentified men near his house in Chicago on February 4. The incident has left Ali, who moved to the US from Hyderabad about six months ago, traumatised. The attack comes less than three weeks after another student, Vivek Saini, who had recently received an MBA degree, was hammered to death by a homeless drug addict in Lithonia (Georgia). Sameer Kamath of Purdue University, Indiana, was found dead this week; according to the authorities, he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Another Purdue student, Neel Acharya, was confirmed dead days after being reported missing, while Akul Dhawan, an 18-year-old who was studying at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, was found dead last month. The death of Shreyas Reddy (19) was reported last week.

The succession of tragic incidents has raised concerns about the safety and security of Indian students in America. These youngsters, whose parents have spent huge sums of money to send them to the US, are being targeted by petty criminals and drug users/traffickers. There are reports that stress caused by the lack of employment opportunities is pushing some of them to the brink — they are taking drugs or trying to end their lives.

The worrisome situation calls for greater efforts by the Indian community and diplomatic staff in America to reach out to the students and help them cope with myriad problems. They also need to build pressure on law enforcement agencies to probe the cases in a time-bound manner. Exemplary action against the culprits, including those in uniform, can send out a strong message of zero tolerance to crime. Last year’s Seattle incident, in which a police officer made insensitive remarks over the death of university student Jaahnavi Kandula, showed that the rot ran deep. The US media, which is quick to highlight any kind of hate crime in India, needs to give due attention to the plight of Indian students.

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