Ninth death of Indian student in US in 2024: Was Abhijeeth Paruchuru murdered?

[TELUGU]

Abhijeeth Paruchuru, hailing from Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, was found dead in Boston on 11 March, with his body discovered in a car deep within a forest. However, authorities have ruled out any foul play

On 11 March, it was reported that Paruchuru was found dead in Boston, with some media reports citing that he had been allegedly murdered. Image Courtesy: @TeluguScribe/X

There’s some tragic news coming out of the United States. Another student, 20-year-old Abhijeeth Paruchuru, has died in Boston. However, an initial probe has ruled out any foul play in his death.

What is the case? Who is Abhijeeth Paruchuru? Here’s more on the matter.

Death of Paruchuru

Paruchuru, a 20-year-old from Burripalem, Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, had gone to the United States to pursue engineering from Boston University.

He was an only son of his Paruchuru Chakradhar and Srilakshmi. According to a Times of India report, he was a bright student since his childhood. His mother initially did not want him to go abroad for higher studies but later agreed keeping his future in mind.

On 11 March, it was reported that Paruchuru was found dead in Boston, with some media reports citing that he had been allegedly murdered. The 20-year-old’s body had been discovered in a car deep within a forest, raising suspicions surrounding his death.

However, on Monday, the Consulate General of India in New York announced that foul play had been ruled out. Additionally, his parents, based in Connecticut, are in direct contact with detectives as the investigation progresses.

The Indian Consulate in New York also stated that they have been actively involved in the case, assisting with documentation and the transportation of Paruchuru’s mortal remains back to India. Expressing deep sorrow over the loss, the Consulate General of India in New York said in a post on X, “Deeply saddened to learn about the unfortunate demise of Abhijeeth Paruchuru, an Indian student in Boston.”

As per PTI, Paruchuru’s last rites have already been performed in his hometown Tenali in Andhra Pradesh. US-based nonprofit organisation TEAM Aid had helped to bring his body to India.

Alarming surge in attacks on Indian students in the US

Since the beginning of 2024, there have been at least half a dozen deaths of Indian and Indian-origin students in the US. The alarming rise in the number of attacks has caused concern among the community.

In March, Amarnath Ghosh , a 34-year-old trained classical dancer from India and a student of Washington University, was shot dead in St Louis, Missouri. Kuchipudi and Bharatnatyam dancer Ghosh migrated to the US from West Bengal last year “to follow his dancing dreams”. He was shot several times near the border of St. Louis’ Academy and Central West End neighbourhoods. He died on the spot.

Sameer Kamath, a 23-year-old Indian-American student at Purdue University, was found dead in a nature preserve in Indiana on 5 February.

On 2 February, Vivek Taneja, a 41-year-old Indian-origin IT executive, suffered life-threatening injuries during an assault outside a restaurant in Washington, making it the seventh death of an Indian or Indian-American in recent months in the US.

A week before that, Syed Mazahir Ali , an Indian student was attacked by robbers in Chicago.

Earlier, 25-year-old Indian student Vivek Saini was fatally attacked in Georgia State’s Lithonia city by a homeless drug addict.

In January, 19-year-old Shreyas Reddy Beniger , a student at the Lindner School of Business in Ohio State was found dead. However, local authorities had ruled out foul play.

Another Indian student, identified as Neel Acharya at Purdue University, Indiana, was confirmed dead days after being reported missing on 28 January.

Akul B Dhawan, an 18-year-old at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, was found dead last month with signs of hypothermia.

The US’s actions in this regard

The series of attacks on Indians and Indian origin person/students 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 community.

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