Reacting to recent attacks on Indian students in the US, the White House has asserted that there is no excuse for violence based on race, gender or any other factor and called it unacceptable in the US.
While addressing a press briefing on February 15, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, John Kirby, stated that US President Joe Biden and his administration have been working very hard to try to thwart and disrupt these kinds of attacks.
In response to a question about recent attacks on Indian students and concerns among parents to send their children to the US, he said, “There’s 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 and the President and his administration has been working very, very hard to make sure we’re doing everything we can to work with state and local authorities to try to thwart and disrupt those kinds of attacks and make it clear to anybody who might consider them that they’ll be held properly accountable.”
The statement comes amid a sudden increase in attacks and deaths of Indians and Indian-Americans in the United States.
On February 7, a 41-year-old Indian-origin man died in the United States, days after suffering life-threatening injuries as a result of an assault in downtown Washington, police said. According to the police, the deceased was identified as Vivek Taneja of Alexandria, Virginia.
According to the police report, the incident took place on February 2 at approximately 2:00 a.m. (local time), following which Taneja was rushed to the hospital for treatment.
“On February 2, 2024, at approximately 2:00 a.m., Second District officers responded to the listed location for reports of an assault. Upon arrival, officers located an adult male suffering from life-threatening injuries as a result of an assault. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment,” the Metropolitan Police Department’s official release said.
However, due to critical injuries, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead on February 7. The Metropolitan Police in Washington, DC, has been seeking public assistance in identifying and locating the suspect.
An Indian student faced a brutal attack in Chicago on February 4. Following the attack, the Indian Consulate in Chicago stated that it was in touch with the victim, Syed Mazahir Ali, as well as his wife in India.
Videos on social media that surfaced showed Ali bleeding heavily as he described the horrific incident. Meanwhile, another video circulating on social media, which appears to be CCTV footage of the incident, showed Ali being chased by three attackers on the streets of Chicago.
Earlier this month, an Indian student in the United States named Shreyas Reddy was found dead in Cincinnati, Ohio. The cause of his death, however, remains unknown as of now. According to reports, Reddy was a student at the Linder School of Business.
On January 30, Neel Acharya, a student at Purdue University, was found dead after being missing for days, according to the Tippecanoe County Coroner. Earlier, another Indian student, identified as Vivek Saini, was brutally killed with repeated blows from a hammer by a homeless man inside a store in Lithonia, Georgia, US. A video of the incident went viral on social media, but the date of the incident can’t be confirmed.
(with inputs from ANI)
