New York, Feb 23 (PTI) An 18-year-old Indian-origin University of Illinois student, who was found dead last month, died due to hypothermia and acute alcohol intoxication with prolonged exposure to extremely cold temperatures significantly contributing to his death, authorities have said.
Akul B Dhawan was found dead outside the campus building around 11 am on January 20. Arrow Ambulance, Urbana Fire Department and the University of Illinois Police Department were dispatched to the location after they received a report of an unresponsive male on a porch.
An autopsy that was performed on January 23 confirmed Dhawan’s death was due to hypothermia. “Acute alcohol intoxication and prolonged exposure to extremely cold temperatures significantly contributed to his death,” Champaign County Coroner Stephen Thuney said.
Thuney ruled the death accidental.
A report in WANDTV.com said that according to the University of Illinois Police Department’s investigation, Dhawan had met with friends at approximately 9 pm on January 19 and had consumed alcohol. At approximately 10 pm, they said Dhawan and his friends went to a local club in Urbana.
“Security video showed him consuming more alcohol before the group returned to the club,” the report cited police as saying.
University police said Dhawan’s friends re-entered the club between 11:25 pm and 11:29 pm while Dhawan stayed outside. “He was denied entry by venue staff when he tried to come in at 11:31 pm. He continued to attempt to gain access to the venue multiple times but was repeatedly denied by staff,” the WANDTV.com report said.
Police said that around midnight, two different rideshare vehicles were called to pick up Dhawan outside the club but he declined both rides “despite attempts by venue staff and a passerby to convince him to accept the rides.” Subsequent phone calls and text messages sent by friends to Dhawan’s phone were not answered, the report said.
Since the beginning of this year, a string of deaths among Indian and Indian-origin students has caused alarm and concern among the community.
Last month, 25-year-old Indian student Vivek Saini was hammered to death by a homeless drug addict in Georgia. Indian-American Sameer Kamath, 23, a student at Purdue University, who was found dead in a nature preserve in Indiana earlier this month, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to authorities.
Amid these tragic incidents, community leader and founder of volunteer-based non-profit organization TEAM Aid, Mohan Nannapaneni told PTI then that it was very tragic to see that lately many students from India are “getting into trouble” and unfortunately some have passed away.
He had underscored the need for creating awareness among immigrants from India to ensure their safety. Nannapaneni had said that there have been instances of Indian students tragically passing away due to car accidents and drowning.
He had also raised concern that drug abuse is becoming rampant across the US and unfortunately, there have been cases of Indian students succumbing to drug abuse and overdose.
Jaipur Foot USA chairman Prem Bhandari, who supports TEAM Aid as a volunteer, had said students should register with the Indian embassy and consulates so that they remain in constant touch and can be contacted in emergencies. PTI YAS NPK AKJ NPK NPK
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