The Indian government revealed that 403 Indian students studying abroad have died since 2018, with Canada reporting the highest number of fatalities at 91. Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan provided this information to the Rajya Sabha, stating that the safety and security of Indian students abroad are among the government’s foremost priorities.
According to the data, Canada recorded 91 deaths of Indian students, followed by the United Kingdom (UK) at 48, Russia at 40, the United States at 36, Australia at 35, Germany at 20, Cyprus at 14, and Italy and the Philippines at 10 each.
Minister Muraleedharan emphasized that heads of mission and senior officials regularly visited universities and educational institutions, engaging with Indian students and their associations. Indian missions and posts remained vigilant, closely monitoring the well-being of students. In case of untoward incidents, the government immediately took up the matter with the concerned authorities in the host country to ensure proper investigation and punishment for perpetrators.
He further stated that distressed Indian students were provided all possible consular assistance, including emergency medical care and lodging, whenever required.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Baghchi addressed questions about the high number of student deaths, suggesting that the increasing number of students going overseas might contribute to the figures. He acknowledged that there were individual incidents involving foul play, and consulates proactively reached out to families while taking up such cases with local authorities. Baghchi highlighted that consulates do engage with families and local authorities in instances where there might be issues of concern.
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