As many as 403 Indian students have died abroad since 2018 in 34 nations, with the most deaths occurring in Canada. The reasons are varied ranging from natural causes and medical conditions to accidents.

The data was presented in the Rajya Sabha by Indian Union Minister V Muraleedharan. Canada reported 91 deaths followed by the United Kingdom (48), Russia (40), the United States (36), Australia (35), Ukraine (21), Germany (20), Cyprus (14), Italy and the Philippines (10 each).

The minister stressed on India’s commitment to the safety and well-being of its students abroad, pledging toward preventing any untoward incidents in the future. “The safety and security of our students abroad is one of the foremost priorities for the Government of India,” he said. He added that heads of mission and senior officials visit colleges and universities to interact with the Indian students studying there.

Muraleedharan added that Indian missions and posts remain vigilant and closely monitor the wellbeing of students. “In case there is any untoward incident, it is immediately taken up with the authorities concerned of the host country to ensure that the incident is properly investigated and the perpetrators punished. The distressed students are also offered comprehensive consular assistance, including emergency medical care, boarding, and lodging when needed, he said.

When asked about the high number of deaths of Indian students, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said: “I don’t know if this is an issue that merits taking up with the government,” considering the high number of students going abroad to study. “There are individual incidents of foul play and others… Our consulates do reach out to families, we also take up such cases with the local authorities,” Bagchi added.

Minister of State in the Ministry of Education Subhas Sarkar informed the Lok Sabha on December 4, that approximately 13 lakh students study abroad. Australia, the UK, the US, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand are the popular destinations for these students.

The Ministry of External Affairs had earlier shared an estimated number of Indian students studying abroad as of 2022. As many as 1,83,310 Indian students were in Canada in 2022, 55,465 students in the UK, 18,039 in Russia, 4,65,791 in the US and 1,00,009 in Australia. – Roopa Kurian is Associate Editor of Nrifocus.com