US:Purdue University has confirmed the death of Indian student Neel Acharya, who went missing on campus over the weekend. The county coroner ruled the tragedy an apparent suicide amid an outpouring of grief from classmates.Student reported missing since SundayThe Tippecanoe County Coroners Office said officials responded around 11:30 a.m. Sunday to a report of a possible dead body at an apartment complex on Purdues West Lafayette campus. Arriving officers discovered the deceased male victim, later identified as graduate student Neel Acharya.Desperate Mother Issued Public Appeal On the same day her son disappeared, Gauri Acharya posted on social media pleading for any information on his whereabouts. She said Neel was last seen when an Uber driver dropped him off on campus early Sunday morning.The Consulate General of India in Chicago quickly responded that it was in contact with Purdue administrators and Mr. Acharyas family, offering support during the distressing ordeal.County coroner: Student died by suicideIn a tragic update Monday, the county coroners office ruled Mr. Acharyas death a suicide. The conclusion preceded the formal identification of the Indian national pending full autopsy results.Purdue University Interim Computer Science Chair Chris Clifton informed students and faculty via email that Neel took his own life, referring to acute mental health struggles.Second Indian Student Killed Stateside in Days The heartbreaking news came on the heels of a brutal hammer attack that claimed the life of Indian graduate student Vivek Saini at a Georgia store last week. Shocking video of that deadly assault has gone viral domestically and in India.A suspect was promptly arrested in Mr. Sainis murder based on unambiguous visual evidence, authorities said. His remains were repatriated to grieving family members in India on Tuesday.Spate of recent campus tragediesThe back-to-back deaths of promising Indian scholars have compounded an alarming cluster of apparent self-harm incidents at Purdue over the past academic year.The university now finds itself at the center of a student mental health crisis. Seven Purdue students or staff have died by suicide since May 2022 alone.Students held vigils for Neel while administrators scrambled to expand counseling services and suicide prevention resources on campus. But many say it is too little too late as they mourn talented peers in the prime of youth.
