Indian student who went missing at Purdue University confirmed dead

PTI, Jan 30, 2024, 10:11 AM IST

Washington: An Indian student pursuing a double major at the prestigious Purdue University in the US state of Indiana, who went missing on Sunday, has been confirmed dead, the university has said.

Tippecanoe County Coroner’s Office officials were called around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday to 500 Allison Road in West Lafayette for a possible dead body. Upon arrival, a “college-aged male” was found deceased outside Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories on Purdue’s campus.

Neel Acharya went missing on Sunday.

“It is with great sadness that I inform you that one of our students Neel Acharya has passed away. The leadership in the Department of Computer Science expresses our profound sorrow for his passing. I am deeply saddened by his loss. My condolences go out to his friends family and all affected,” Chris Clifton, interim head of the university’s Computer Science Department, said in an email to the department on Monday.

Clifton said Neel was a driven individual and academically talented. He pursued a double major in computer science and data science and was a John Martinson Honors College student.

“He aspired to pursue numerous academic achievements and shared profound connections with friends. He was very proud of and cared deeply for his brothers at Triangle Fraternity. Neel could be counted on to reach out to others and make them feel included. He was an achiever and an includer, with his: most notable qualities being genuine kindness and unwavering compassion,” Clifton said.

Clifton told the local Purdue Exponent newspaper that he received an email from the Office of the Dean of Students confirming Acharya’s death.

“A deceased person was found that matched Neel’s description and had Neel’s ID on (him),” he said.

Goury Acharya, the mother of the dead student, in a post on X on Monday, said: “Our son Neel Acharya has been missing since yesterday January 28 (12:30 AM EST) He is studying at Purdue University in the US. He was last seen by the Uber driver who dropped him off at Purdue University. We are looking for any info on him. Please help us if you know anything.” Responding to her post, India’s Consulate General in Chicago, said: “(The) Consulate is in touch with Purdue University authorities and also with Neel’s family. The consulate will extend all possible support and help.” The exact reason for death is not known yet.

Acharya’s demise comes after the news of the grisly murder of Vivek Saini, another Indian student who had recently earned an MBA degree in the US and was hammered to death by a homeless drug addict in Georgia state’s Lithonia city, making it the second student death in the US in the past few weeks.