Safety First: Should Government Of India Issue An Advisory For Indian Students In America?

7 February: Indian student Syed Mazahir Ali was subjected to a brutal attack by four men in Chicago.

1 February: A University of Cincinnati student Shreyas Reddy Benigeri was found dead in Ohio, under suspicious circumstances.

29 January: Another Indian student, Neel Acharya, was found dead under suspicious circumstances in the Purdue University campus.

20 January: 18-year old Akul Dhawan was found dead outside the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The autopsy suggested that Akul died due to hypothermia, while his father accused police of inaction and negligence.

16 January: 25-year old Vivek Saini was hammered to death by Julian Faulkner, a 53-year old homeless drug addict, in a departmental store of Georgia.

These incidents have brought the question of the security of Indian students in the US into focus like never before. The frequency of the incidents and the nature of the crimes have left parents and families in India worried.

Is it high time that the government of India issues an advisory to Indian students in America?

The Numbers

According to US embassy itself, in 2022-23, 268,923 Indian students went to the US for higher studies, an astounding 35 per cent more than the previous year.

Students from India comprised more than one-quarter of total foreign students in the US. In fact, for the first time since 2010, India became the numero uno source of international students in the US.

Reasons For Students Choosing US

Students  graduating from top institutes in India look to flock to the US for their postgraduate degrees due to better academic atmosphere and job prospects.

However, the top universities in America have a high fee structure and less than 10 per cent acceptance rate, which makes way for second- and third-tier universities to absorb Indian students.

These institutions not only accept the top-performing Indian students but also a large number of those students who chase a 'foreign degree' and are able to pay for it. They offer less competition and better placement prospects than India in most cases.

Compared to most private Indian universities charging lakhs and with placements of around Rs 20,000, Tier-II and III universities of US provide better career opportunities.

The Downsides

What is not factored in by Indian students and families is that not all parts of urban America can boast of equal safety.

The primary reason for this is the high gun ownership in the country. Guns can be purchased easily in the US, with even some departmental stores selling weapons.

While the phenomenon may have historical reasons behind it, the drug menace and legislators’ unwillingness to fight it has made it difficult to control gun violence. In 2021, more than 47,000 deaths in the US were directly attributable to guns. The number only jumped in 2022, before witnessing slight decline in 2023.

Apart from streets, gun violence is mainly prevalent in downtowns, gas stations and vacant land slots between two cities (US has very low population density).

What makes matters worse is the mental health epidemic in the US.

According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

"Mental illnesses are among the most common health conditions in the United States... About 1 in 25 U.S. adults lives with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression."

Hence, not only are firearms easily available in the US, they are easily available to a population in which a substantial number is vulnerable to carrying out violence.

Should India Issue An Advisory To Its Students?

Given these realities and the recent spate of tragic news from the US, the question is — should India issue an advisory to students heading to the US?

Sunanda Vashisht, a political commentator residing in the US took to 'X', formerly Twitter, to share some do's and don'ts for Indian students.

These include staying clear of downtowns, gas stations, and shady areas, especially at night; travelling in groups or with friends; seeking employment opportunities within universities; connecting with local mentors, guardians, temples, and Indian associations, and staying in touch with them, apart from reaching out to the Indian consulate as required.

An advisory for Indian students, if issued, should not be seen as a diplomatic salvo fired at the US but as a step in a process wherein the government of India does everything it can to ensure the safety of young Indians in America.