Attack on Indian Student at U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Leads to Brawl, 2 Arrests By THOMAS BARTLETT
A 19-year-old Indian student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was physically attacked early Friday by a fellow student who called him a "terrorist." The incident -- which escalated into a fight involving between 30 and 40 people -- is another in a series of racially motivated assaults on Middle Eastern and Asian college students following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
The president of the university's Indian Student Association, Paras Mehta, said the recent assault contributes to an "atmosphere of anxiety" among Arab and Indian students at the institution. It is not, he said, an isolated event. There have been other indications of anti-Arab sentiment on campus, including a death threat left in the mailbox of a Muslim student.
"My fear is that if this is what is happening on college campuses, which are supposed to be some of the most diverse and tolerant places, what is going on in cities and towns and rural areas?" Mr. Mehta said.
The Indian student was attacked at a bar near the campus, and the fight followed, according to Champaign, Ill., police. So far, two students have been arrested. The name of the victim has not been released.