Indian student stabbed in US continues on life support; suffered severe neurological impairment
Washington (PTI): P Varun Raj, the 24-year-old Indian student who was stabbed at a fitness centre in the US state of Indiana over the weekend, continues to be in a critical condition and is on life support, sources familiar with his ongoing treatment said.
Varun, a Computer Science student, was stabbed with a knife into the temple by the assailant Jordan Andrade, 24, at the public gym on Sunday morning for reasons that the authorities are still investigating.
"After three days of treatment, Varun continues to be on life support and has severe neurological impairment. He is likely to sustain permanent disability and have partial, if not complete, vision loss and left-sided weakness," sources told PTI.
Following the incident, the attacker was arrested and is facing charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and attempted murder.
Varun has now been transferred to Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne because of the serious nature of the injuries.
Meanwhile, assailant Andrade, who appeared before Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Clymer, pleaded not guilty to the charges of a Level 1 and Level 3 felony.
The judge set his bond at USD 500,000 cash and USD 500,000 surety.
According to The Chicago Tribune newspaper, Andrade said he could afford a USD 300,000 bond. The judge deemed Andrade a flight risk.
The Valparaiso University president expressed his shock over the brutal attack on one of its students.
"We are shocked and saddened by the attack on Varun Raj. At Valparaiso University, we consider each other family, and this incident is horrifying for us all. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of his friends and family," Jose Padilla, the university's president, said in a statement provided to the Post-Tribune on Wednesday.
"In addition to our thoughts and prayers, the University and Valpo Community are offering all assistance and resources available to help Varun's family get to the United States as quickly as possible," Michael Fenton said in an email to Chicago Tribune, adding that the university also is providing full support to the ongoing investigation by the Valparaiso Police Department.
The North American Telugu Society (NATS) has started a fundraiser on GoFund and by Wednesday night raised over USD 38,000.
"Currently, he is in critical condition, battling for his life in a coma, and his family is facing a harrowing journey filled with uncertainty and overwhelming medical bills. We were contacted by the family with a heavy heart, asking for our support to cover his extensive medical expenses and travel expenses for his parents to the USA," NATS said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Cong performed better in Kerala, anti-incumbency trends influenced WB, TN: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said the Congress had largely met or exceeded expectations in several States, even as results in some regions reflected shifting voter sentiments.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said the party accepted the mandate in Assam while performing better than anticipated in Kerala.
He also pointed to possible anti-incumbency trends influencing outcomes in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
“In Assam, we got the expected result, and we accept the people’s mandate. In Kerala, we have won more seats than expected. We anticipated around 76 to 80, but we have gone up to around 95,” Siddaramaiah said.
In West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, there may have been an anti-incumbency trend, and that could have influenced the results, he added.
Siddaramaiah also extended his congratulations to a new political entrant in Tamil Nadu, noting the emergence of a different electoral dynamic in the State.
“I congratulate the new entrant who has achieved success there,” he added.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said electoral outcomes in some States had diverged from the party’s internal assessments, reflecting evolving voter expectations.
“We expected a certain trend, but the results have been different. Political reading was wrong in some places,” he said.
“People were looking for change in some States, and that has been reflected in the results,” Shivakumar, who is also the Congress Karnataka unit president, said.
Referring to Kerala, he said the Congress-led alliance had benefited from public sentiment.
“There was already an expectation based on local body elections, and people had shown confidence in us. That has translated into a strong result,” the Deputy Chief Minister said.
On Tamil Nadu, he acknowledged that the scale of political shift had come as a surprise.
“We expected to secure around 30 to 40 per cent of the vote share, but such a major shift was not anticipated. It shows that voter expectations were different,” he said.
Shivakumar added that electoral outcomes underscored the need for better political assessment in future.
“We have to understand these changes carefully. Political reading cannot go wrong like this,” he said.
