A spate of similar assaults on citizens from the Asian nation has occurred in American cities in the past month
Footage of an Indian student being chased and attacked in Chicago has caused outrage on social media in the South Asian nation. The incident is the latest in a series of violent, sometimes fatal, assaults involving Indians in the US.
A video of three men chasing the student, identified as Syed Mazahir Ali from the southern Indian state of Telangana, was captured by surveillance cameras on February 4. In one clip, Ali is seen with blood over his face and clothes, as he appeals for help after explaining he has been violently attacked. The student said four people assaulted him and stole his phone while he was walking towards his apartment.
The attack took place at Campbell Avenue on Chicago’s North Side. The city witnessed 617 homicides in 2023, according to local police department data, making it among the highest rates in the US. Chicago is frequently cited for its high crime rate and has been described as the ‘murder capital’ of the US.
Another Indian Student Suffers Vicious Assault in a US City Three men left Syed Mazahir Ali bloodied after a brutal attack in which they punched him to the ground and stole his phone as he walked home on the streets of Chicago. Hyderabad resident Ali, a Masters IT student at… https://t.co/f91lNF5ULhpic.twitter.com/R7XaEDDebj
— RT_India (@RT_India_news) February 7, 2024
As outrage erupted in India over the attack, the victim’s wife, Sueda Ruquiya Fatima Rizvi, wrote to Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to seek his intervention. Rizvi claimed her husband had gone into “shock” after the assault. She also asked the Indian government to make travel arrangements so that she and the couple’s three children could be reunited with her husband. Meanwhile, the Indian consulate in Chicago has reportedly contacted local authorities investigating the case.
The attack is the latest in a series of high-profile incidents of violence against Indians on US soil in recent weeks. Around 300,000 Indian students are pursuing higher education in the country.
On Monday, Sameer Kamath, a doctoral candidate at Indiana’s Purdue University, was found dead at a nature reserve not far from campus. A forensic autopsy was due to be conducted on Tuesday, NDTV reported.
One week previously, Neel Acharya, an Indian-origin student pursuing a double major at the same university, was found dead near the varsity airport. Acharya’s remains were discovered after his mother filed a missing person report.
In another incident in January, 25-year-old Indian student Vivek Saini was fatally attacked in Lithonia, Georgia by a homeless drug addict. Vivek, born in northwestern India’s Haryana state, had previously provided the homeless man with food and shelter. Graphic footage of the murder showed the suspect, Juan Faulkner, hitting Saini with a hammer nearly 50 times.
Earlier this month, Shreyas Reddy Benigeri, a student of Indian descent at the Lindner School of Business, was found dead in Cincinnati, Ohio. New Delhi’s Consulate General in New York later clarified that no foul play was suspected.
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