Akul Dhawan, an Indian-origin graduate of Illinois University, died last month on West Nevada Street in the US after freezing to death near a club that refused to admit him after a night out with friends, according to the Champaign County Coroner’s Office.
On 20th February, Champaign County Coroner Stephen Thuney issued a statement detailing the official cause of Dhawan’s death. The release stated that the death was unintentional. “An autopsy was performed on Tuesday, 23rd January 2024, that confirmed the death of Dhawan was due to hypothermia. Acute alcohol intoxication and prolonged exposure to extremely cold temperatures significantly contributed to his death,” the press release stated.
On 11th February, the community people held a vigil to honor Dhawan in the presence of his parents, who conveyed their grief in a statement to the media. “We have a big massive hole left in our family; we will never be the same,” they said.
On 19th January, Dhawan exited the bar at midnight but declined requests to be driven home by rideshares. All phone calls and text messages that were sent to Dhawan’s phone went unattended, and he was reported missing at 1:23 am. As per the reports, on the night of Dhawan’s death, the temperature had dropped to 27 degrees Fahrenheit (-2.7 degrees Celsius).
Last month, the coroner’s office stated that the preliminary report found no signs of substantial trauma. “There was no foul play involved and the death is initially believed to be accidental,” he said.
Dhawan’s parents have filed a complaint against the university’s police department, accusing them of incompetence in searching. Dhawan’s body was reported found just 200 feet away from the location where he was last reported seen.
After Akul was reported missing, school authorities “looked at the area where he was last seen, the student’s residence hall, and the likely path between the two locations, including the main Quad and streets.” Police also investigated local hospitals and made phone calls to the students.
Dhawan’s parents, who live in California, stated that they spoke with top university officials while in town this week. They also filed a complaint against the school police for negligence. His uncle, Rishab Mehandru, stated that to prevent others from going through the same ordeal, they would like to learn more about the UI’s search policy and any issues with its procedures.
Dhawan enrolled in the University of Illinois’ Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering to study robotics, despite his parents’ objections that he study closer to home in California.
Akul Dhawan’s death is the 6th case of an Indian person’s unnatural death in the USA in 2 months of 2024.
Seattle police officer who caused Jhanvi Kandula’s death won’t face any charges
Last year, a similar incident was reported after an Indian student identified as Janhavi Kandula was killed after being hit by a patrol car driven by police officer Kevin Dave in Seattle. Dave was driving at 74 mph (119 kph) on his way to a report of an overdose when he collided with Kandula at Dexter Avenue North and Thomas Street. According to reports, her body was flung about 100 feet (30 meters) away.
The student was immediately brought to Harborview Medical Centre, but she died from her injuries. Later a video of the US police officer joking and laughing over the death of the Indian-origin student in an accident in Seattle had taken the internet by storm, followed by a massive outrage. The Indian Consulate in San Francisco had also demanded a probe into the incident amid the uproar.
Reportedly, as per the latest update, it has come to the fore that Dave who collided with Kandula resulting in the latter’s death will not face any criminal charges in the case due to ‘lack of evidence’.
In a statement issued on Wednesday (21st February), the King County Prosecuting Attorney said, “Kandula’s death is heartbreaking and has impacted communities in King County and around the world.” However, King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion stated that she believes there is insufficient evidence to prove a criminal case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Recently, a 23-year-old Indian student Sameer Kamath was found dead in Warren County in Indiana. He was a doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering at Purdue University.
Shreyas Reddy, who was a student at the Linder School of Business, was also found dead in Cincinnati in Ohio. But, the cause of his death remains unknown.
Before him, Vivek Saini and Neel Acharya were also found dead in the same week. Notably, Neel Acharya was also a student at the Purdue University. His body was found at the campus on January 30.
Another Indian student Vivek Saini was brutally killed with repeated blows from a hammer by a homeless man inside a store in Lithonia, Georgia, US on January 29.
Also, on 7th February, a 41-year-old Indian-origin man named Vivek Taneja succumbed to his injuries after being grievously assaulted by an unidentified man in downtown Washington in the United States.