US Hate Crime: Indian Student Stabbed In Head For Looking 'Threatening, Weird' To Attacker; On Life Support

Twitter

New Delhi: P Varun Raj, a 24-year-old Indian student, was brutally stabbed in the head by a stranger at a fitness centre in Indiana, USA, last weekend. He is still in a critical condition and on life support, according to sources close to his treatment. Varun, who is pursuing Computer Science, was attacked with a knife by Jordan Andrade, 24, at the public gym on Sunday morning. After three days of medical care, Varun remains on life support and has severe neurological damage. He is likely to suffer permanent disability and lose partial or complete vision and movement on his left side.

Andrade, who is currently in jail and facing charges of attempted murder and aggravated battery, claimed that he thought Varun was going to assassinate him. Varun has been moved to Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne due to the seriousness of his injuries. He reportedly has a very slim chance of survival.

The Attacker's Bizarre Explanation

Andrade told the police that he did not know Varun and had never spoken to him before the attack. He said that he had gone to the gym for a massage and found Varun in the massage room, who looked "a little weird" to him. He said that "someone" had told him that Varun was threatening, but he did not specify who that someone was.

Andrade said that he decided to act the "right way" and defend himself against Varun, who he described as a "pretty little" man. He said that he pulled out a knife from his pocket, which he used for opening boxes at his work, and stabbed Varun in the temple. He said that Varun did not get out of his chair and did not initiate any contact, except for trying to push Andrade off him after being stabbed.

Andrade, who claimed to be a former high school football player who could bench press 260 pounds, said that he was a "defensive fighter" and "took him out" with the knife.

Hate Crimes Against South Asians In US

The latest Hate Crimes Statistics for 2022 released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on October 16 show a significant decline in anti-Asian hate crimes from 753 in 2021 (when they were mainly driven by Covid-related bias incidents) to 499 in 2022. The term "Asian" includes South Asians in this report.

However, there was a worrying increase in anti-Hindu hate crimes from 12 to 25, which doubled the number of incidents against this community. Hindus rank at the bottom of 36 communities tracked by the FBI, at 31. Even though Hindus face far fewer hate crimes than other communities, it is important not to let fear mongering overtake facts when it comes to fighting hate.