Indian-Origin Student Freezes to Death; Family Criticizes Police

Local media and officials report that Akul Dhawan, an Indian-origin college student discovered deceased near his US university on January 20, froze to death near a club that denied him entry during a night out with friends. The Champaign County Coroner’s Office Police determined the cause of death as hypothermia, as per a press release on February 20. Dhawan, an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Illinois in Urbana, had been socializing with friends at a club near the campus that evening, as reported by The Kansas City Star.

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Police Conducted Premises Search Yet Failed to Locate Dhawan

One of Akul Dhawan’s friends reached out to campus police at 1:23 am on the same day after unsuccessful attempts to reach him throughout the night. Despite police claims of searching the premises and contacting friends, Dhawan remained unfound. He was discovered at 11 am the following day, lying on concrete steps behind a building just a four-minute walk from the club. The reported temperatures in the area had dropped to approximately -2 degrees Celsius at that time.

The coroner’s office declared Dhawan dead at the scene, citing “acute alcohol intoxication and prolonged exposure to extremely cold temperatures” as significant contributors to his demise, as reported by The Kansas City Star. However, Dhawan’s family expressed doubts regarding the adequacy of the police search efforts. In an open letter published in another local newspaper, they stated their belief that the police did not adequately search for their son.

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