This is the 4th death reported so far, causing concern
Our Bureau
Cincinnati, OH
Shreyas Reddy Benigeri, a student of the Lindner School of Business, Cincinnati, was found dead in the state of Ohio, the fourth such case within a month in the country. The Consulate General of India in New York said that no foul play is suspected at this stage. Police in the US are investigating the death of an Indian-American student. Before moving to the US, Benigeri had graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani.
“Deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of Mr Shreyas Reddy Benigeri, a student of Indian origin in Ohio,” the Consulate said in a post on X.
The incident comes just days after Neel Acharya, an Indian-origin student pursuing of Purdue University, was found dead near the varsity airport. Earlier, 25-year-old Indian student Vivek Saini was fatally attacked in Georgia state’s Lithonia city by a homeless drug addict.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Lok Sabha in a written reply that as per the information available “403 incidents of death of Indian students abroad have been reported since 2018 due to various reasons, including natural causes, accidents and medical conditions”.
As per the MEA data, the number included 91 in Canada, 48 in the UK, 35 in Australia, 40 in Russia, 36 in the US, 21 in Ukraine, 14 in Cyprus, 20 in Germany, 10 in Italy and nine each in China, Kyrgyzstan and Qatar.
Jaishankar said the welfare of Indian students abroad was one of the foremost priorities for the Government of India and Indian Missions/Posts abroad arrange welcome ceremonies for students enrolled for studying in foreign universities, encouraging them to register with them.
“Wherever Indian students are enrolled in universities abroad, the Missions keep in regular touch with them. Heads of Mission/Post and senior officials visit Universities and educational institutions for regular interactions with Indian students and student associations,” he said.
