External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Monday expressed concerns over the rising deaths of Indian students in the United States, saying that such cases are unconnected but a ‘big concern’ for the government.
“Obviously, in every case, wherever anything unfortunate has happened to the students, it is of great tragedy for the family, and a big concern for us but…our embassy or consulate has looked at every case and they’re actually unconnected,” PTI quoted the minister as saying in Bengaluru.
Jaishankar added that the embassies have been directed to keep in touch with the students and chat with them, and also warn them about dangerous areas of cities to avoid.
While stating that there are 11 lakh to 12 lakh Indian students living in various countries, the minister said, “Student welfare is very important. Like I said, every Indian going out, you have Modi’s guarantee. Student welfare is particularly important for us.”
Jaishankar’s remarks have come amid rising incidents of Indians losing their lives in the US. Earlier this month, an Indian student named Uma Satya Sai Gadde was found dead in Ohio. The local police said they are investigating the death.
On April 9, a 25-year-old Indian student who had been missing since last month was found dead in Cleveland. Mohammad Abdul Arfath, hailing from Nacharam, Hyderabad, arrived in the US last year in May to pursue a Masters in IT from Cleveland University.
Last month, a 34-year-old Bharatnatyam and Kuchupudi dancer from Kolkata named Amarnath Ghosh was shot dead in Missouri. Acccording to television actor Devoleena Bhattacharjee, Ghosh was shot dead in St Louis Academy neighbourhood.
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The Indian missions in the US have stepped up their student-outreach initiatives in view of incidents of deaths of Indian students in that country in recent months.
“There have been some unfortunate incidents resulting in the death of Indian students in the US. These cases are under investigation,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
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