Indiana: Two days after an Indian student was stabbed in Valparaiso city in the US state of Indiana, the State Department has expressed regret over the incident, ANI reported.
Varun Raj Pucha, a computer science student at Valparaiso University, was stabbed in the head at a public gym on October 29. The Telangana native is currently on life support at a hospital.
Authorities said that the assailant in the case has been identified as 24-year-old Jordan Andrade. He told the police he found Pucha “little weird” and a threat to him and that he “just reacted” upon it, according to PTI.
On Thursday, the US State Department said they are “deeply disturbed” by the incident.
“We are deeply disturbed by reports of a brutal attack against Indian graduate student Varun Raj Pucha. We wish him a full recovery from his injuries. We defer to local law enforcement for any questions about this ongoing case,” a State Department spokesperson told ANI.
Meanwhile, the police said that Andrade has been arrested and is facing charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and attempted murder. He has pleaded not guilty before the court, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Pucha’s father, P Ram Murthy, on Wednesday, told PTI that he was informed about the incident by his son’s roommate.
Pucha’s family added that he had been pursuing a Master’s in Computer Science and left for the US in August 2022. He was expected to return home in Khamam next year.