Over 2,000 students, educators harmed in attacks within India, shows data

Amid assaults on Indian students abroad, data shows large number of instances in local institutions too

The recent instances of attacks on Indian students abroad have turned the spotlight on safety issues for those pursuing higher education in foreign countries.

On Monday, a doctoral candidate was found dead in Warren County, while an information technology student was brutally attacked near his residence in Chicago, bringing the total number of such disturbing incidents involving Indian students in the US to six in 2024.

An analysis of cross-country data, however, suggests that domestic students have much to fear as well, with India figuring among the countries with the largest number of students and educators harmed in various attacks.

Over 2,000 students and educators were harmed over two years among those pursuing education in India, according to data from the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA), an interagency formed in 2010, with UNESCO as a core member.

The agency monitors targeted attacks on education by armed groups or individuals.

According to their database, more than 5,000 attacks were reported on education and incidents of military use of schools and universities that impacted 9,000 students in 85 countries.

India accounted for a large share of affected students. These attacks include abductions, arbitrary arrests, detentions, injuries, and fatalities among students and educators in educational institutions, and military usage of educational institutions.  India leads among the top seven economies for which data is available.

Since 2018, 80 per cent of the fatalities of Indian students pursuing overseas education, were concentrated in ten countries. But these include the reported deaths of Indian students by natural causes, accidents, and medical reasons, according to data from the Ministry of External Affairs in December 2023.

Canada accounted for one-fifth of the deaths of Indian students since 2018, followed by the United Kingdom (48), Russia (40) and the United States (36). The cumulative number of Indian student deaths abroad over the past five years exceeds 400.

 

In 2022, the number of Indians migrating for educational pursuits surpassed 7,50,000, compared to 5,86,337 in 2019.

Approximately 35 per cent of the 1.32 million Indian students studying abroad in 2022 were enrolled in educational institutions in the US, with Canada and the United Arab Emirates trailing at 14 per cent and 12 per cent, respectively, according to data from the Ministry of External Affairs.