- Thursday, May 16, 2024
The deceased was identified as Neel Acharya, a double major in computer science and data science at Purdue University’s John Martinson Honors College.
By: Shubham Ghosh
IN another incident of an Indian student losing his life in the US, Neel Acharya, who studied at Purdue University in Indiana, was found dead on Sunday (28), hours after his mother reported him to be missing.
Tippecanoe County Coroner’s Office in Lafayette, Indiana, said officials were given a call around 11.30 am local time on Sunday to reach 500 Allison Road in West Lafayette for a possible dead body. Upon arrival, a “college-aged male” was found dead on Purdue’s campus.
The deceased was identified as Neel Acharya, a double major in computer science and data science at Purdue University’s John Martinson Honors College.
Read: Indian consulate in Atlanta condemns brutal killing of student with hammer
On Sunday, Neel’s mother Gaury Acharya had written on X, “Our son Neel Acharya is missing since yesterday Jan 28 (12:30 AM EST) He is studying in Purdue University in the US. He was last seen by the Uber driver who dropped him off in Purdue University. We are looking for any info on him. Please help us if you know anything.”
The consulate general of India in Chicago responded to her post saying, “Consulate is in touch with Purdue University authorities and also with Neel’s family. Consulate will extend all possible support and help.”
Read: Indian student in US viciously beaten, forced to work in captivity: ‘Absolutely inhumane’
Consulate is in touch with Purdue University authorities and also with Neel’s family. Consulate will extend all possible support and help. @IndianEmbassyUS @MEAIndia @SandhuTaranjitS
— India in Chicago (@IndiainChicago) January 29, 2024
The mother’s post was deleted later.
Purdue Exponent, a multimedia agency independent of the university, said that the head of the computer science department, Chris Clifton, informed the faculty and students about Acharya’s death in an email on Monday (29).
According to the Purdue Exponent, a multimedia agency independent of the university, the head of the Computer Science department Chris Clifton informed the faculty and students of Neel Acharya’s death in an email on Monday.
“It is with great sadness that I inform you that one of our students, Neel Acharya, has passed away,” Clifton wrote. “My condolences go out to his friends, family, and all affected.”
He also called Acharya a “driven individual and academically talented”. He said Acharya’s death was a real loss to the community.
Aryan Khanolkar, Acharya’s friend and roommate at the university, said the latter was a “loving, charismatic soul, and will be cherished by all of us”, Purdue Exponent added.
Acharya’s death took place days after Vivek Saini, another Indian student, was brutally clobbered by a homeless drug addict man with a hammer inside a convenience store in Lithonia in the state of Georgia.
A video of the gruesome incident went viral on social media. The police promptly responded and arrested the accused who reportedly was helped with food and warmth by Saini.
