Indian student from the state of Karnataka Saketh Sreenivasaiah was found dead in California six days after going missing. Saketh Sreenivasaiah, was a student of Chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to moving to the United States, Saketh Sreenivasaih had completed his undergraduation in chemical engineering from IIT Madras. Saketh also had keen interest in advanced materials and deep-technology research including semiconductors and next-generation emerging solutions.
The 22- year old student from Karnataka went missing a week ago. He was last seen on February 9 in the vicinity of Tilden Regional Park, a recreational area near the university campus. When Saketh Sreenivasaiah was not in contact with his friends for a few days and didn’t return, local police in California initiated an investigation in the vicinity of the University campus and in the neighbourhood. His father Sreenivasaiah said that the family last spoke to him on the day he went missing. The roommates and friends of Saketh searched for him in all the known locations, before filing a missing complaint in the Berkeley police department.
As days passed and contacting Saketh was not possible the family and friends lodged a complaint with the Indian consulate and sought for assistance to search. The Indian consulate in San Francisco on February 15, confirmed that Saketh Sreenivasaih was dead and the local police authorities have recovered his body near Lake Anza. In an official statement, the Indian Consulate asserted that it will coordinate closely with the US authorities and will assist the family with all the formalities for the repatriation of the mortal remains of Saketh Sreenivasaih to India, as early as possible.
Was isolated, survived on limited food and spoke barely: Saketh friends
Meanwhile, the friends of Saketh Sreenivasaiah spoke about his mental status and activities over the past few days. Baneet Sidd, room-mate of Saketh, said that “life as an international student is tough”. “The entire community has been shocked to the core. The police shared this with me so far and I am currently working with the authorities to fly his family to the US from here on an emergency visa”, Baneet further added.
Baneet Sidd further explained that there was not any problematic sign. However, Saketh ate less, engaged less and survived only on chips and cookies. But as friends, we failed to recognise these symptoms, said Baneet. “We had found Saketh coming from class with a smirk on his face”, Baneet asserted. “I have stopped caring, man, I am cold and don’t care what anyone thinks of me. I don’t care about anything. At the time I laughed it off, Saketh was just being silly as usual. He was always up to something silly. Now I know that he really meant it. The opposite of life was never death, it was indifference. To stop caring. Which led to him not caring for his own life, either”, Baneet wrote on a social media post.
Baneet Sidd further wrote and urged people to care for their loved ones. “Take this as a reminder to please reach out to your loved ones and check if they are okay. I didn’t expect this from a friend who lived, ate, travelled, laughed and joked with me. It hurt. Take this news as a way to bring together love with friends, instead of sitting in sorrow. Saketh would have wanted that for you all”, Baneet added.
Ministry of External Affairs assures protection of the Indian community
In the wake of the incident of Saketh Sreenivasaiah anxiety erupted among the Indian community in the United States regarding the safety of the Indians abroad. In response, the Ministry of External Affairs reiterated that the Indian consulates abroad will regularly stay in touch with the students studying in the various universities abroad and conduct orientation sessions for them frequently, thus raising awareness among them regarding the potential risks for the international students and the precautions that have to be taken. The Indian missions also issue advisories from time to time to keep the Indian community aware about the developments in the foreign country.
