Indian-American student killed in US, sixth such case in less than two weeks

An Indian-American student, who was completing his doctorate in mechanical engineering from Purdue University, was found dead in a nature preserve on Monday evening (Feb 5), reported the Warren County Coroner’s office.

The 23-year-old student, identified as Sameer Kamath, had US citizenship and had completed his master’s degree in mechanical engineering in August 2023 from Purdue University, confirmed the coroner’s office. He is the second Indian-American student from Purdue University who has been killed in the last few weeks, after Neel Acharya.

Kamath’s dead body was found at the Crow’s Grove Nature Preserve around 5 pm (local time) on Monday (Feb 5). Crow’s Grove Nature Preserve is part of the Niches Land Trust which is located at 3300 North Warren County Road 50 West, in Williamsport.

A press release regarding the death of the Indian-American student was released by Warren County Coroner Justin Brummett on Tuesday afternoon (Feb 6).

Kamath received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and enrolled at Purdue in 2021.

As per his LinkedIn profile, he was set to graduate from the doctoral programme in 2025.

Increasing attacks on Indian students in the US

The attack comes in the wake of Indian-origin students facing increasing attacks in the United States.

Indian student Syed Mazahir Ali’s video surfaced on Wednesday (Feb 7) in which he was seen bleeding profusely and desperately pleading for help in Chicago after getting attacked by robbers.

This was the fourth such case to have emerged in recent days. Another 19-year-old student, Shreyas Reddy Beniger, who held an American passport was found dead last week after the authorities ruled out any foul play.