Biden admin working ‘very hard’ to thwart attacks on Indian students: White House

Washington, Feb 16 (PTI) US President Joe Biden and his administration are working very hard to thwart and disrupt attacks on Indian and Indian American students, the White House has said.

The announcement by John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House comes amid a slew of attacks on Indian and Indian American students in various parts of the country.

“There is 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,” Kirby told reporters here when asked about the series of attacks on students from India and also those from the Indian American community.

“The president and this administration have 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,” Kirby said.

Vivek Saini, a student working part-time in a department store, died following an attack by a drug addict in Lithonia, Georgia in January. Syed Mazahir Ali, an Indian student at Indiana Wesleyan University was assaulted in February.

Deaths of at least four Indian American students have been reported in the last several weeks.

Akul Dhawan of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Neel Acharya of Purdue University died apparently due to heavy drinking followed by long exposure to low temperatures at night in January.

Shreyas Reddy Benigeri, an Indian-origin student at the Lindner School of Business in Cincinnati was found dead in Ohio this month.

Indian American community leader Ajay Jain Bhutoria said he was deeply troubled by the tragic deaths of these students in separate incidents and underscored the urgent need for enhanced safety measures for those pursuing education in the US. College authorities, and local police, must address these challenges promptly, he asserted.

“These incidents understandably worry parents and families in India, and their concerns are shared. It's crucial to address safety issues to ensure the well-being of Indian students studying in the USA,” he said, adding that the Indian American community unites in calling for improved safety measures and support systems. PTI