'No excuse for violence...': White House on attacks against Indian students in US

NEW DELHI: In a press briefing on Thursday, the White House strongly denounced violence based on factors like race or gender, categorising such behaviors as unacceptable within the country.
John Kirby, the Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council, expressed the administration's dedication to preventing and thwarting such attacks.He underscored President Joe Biden and his team's concerted efforts to collaborate with state and local authorities in addressing the issue and ensuring accountability for those responsible.
While responding to a question about recent attacks on Indian students and concerns among parents to send their children to the US, he said, "There's no excuse for violence, certainly based on race or gender or religion or any other factor. That's just unacceptable here in the United States and the President and his administration has been working very, very hard to make sure we're doing everything we can to work with state and local authorities to try to thwart and disrupt those kinds of attacks and make it clear to anybody who might consider them that they'll be held properly accountable."
The statement comes in the wake of a sudden surge in attacks and fatalities involving individuals of Indian descent in the United States.
On February 7, a 41-year-old man of Indian origin passed away in the United States, several days after sustaining life-threatening injuries in an assault in downtown Washington, as reported by the police. The deceased has been identified as Vivek Taneja from Alexandria, Virginia.
According to the police report, the incident occurred on February 2 at around 2:00 a.m. (local time), leading to Taneja being promptly transported to the hospital for medical attention.
"On Friday, February 2, 2024, at approximately 2:00 a.m., Second District officers responded to the listed location for reports of an assault. Upon arrival, officers located an adult male suffering from life-threatening injuries as a result of an assault. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment," the Metropolitan Police Department's official release said.
However, succumbing to critical injuries, he was declared dead on February 7. The Metropolitan Police in Washington, DC, has been actively seeking public assistance in identifying and locating the suspect.
In another incident, a brutal attack unfolded in Chicago on February 4, targeting an Indian student named Syed Mazahir Ali. Following the assault, the Indian Consulate in Chicago reported being in contact with the victim and his wife in India.
Videos circulating on social media depicted Ali bleeding profusely as he recounted the harrowing incident. Additionally, CCTV footage, also shared on social media, revealed Ali being pursued by three assailants on the streets of Chicago.
Earlier this month, the mysterious death of an Indian student named Shreyas Reddy in Cincinnati, Ohio, raised concerns. The cause of his death remains unknown at present, with reports indicating that Reddy was a student at the Linder School of Business.
On January 30, Neel Acharya, a student at Purdue University, was discovered dead after being missing for several days, according to the Tippecanoe County Coroner.
Prior to that, Vivek Saini, another Indian student, fell victim to a brutal attack involving repeated blows from a hammer by a homeless man inside a store in Lithonia, Georgia, US. Although a video of the incident circulated on social media, the exact date of the occurrence cannot be confirmed.