US news: Indian student in coma for 10 days after accident, father seeks PM Modi’s help to get visa

An Indian student studying in the United States has been in coma for the past 10 days after she met with an accident. The girl, identified as Neelam Shinde and a final year student at an American university, was struck by a four-wheeler in California.

With Donald Trump tightening restrictions on entry into the country, her father has sought help from PM Narendra Modi-led Central government to obtain visas.

Neelam Shinde is a resident of Satara district in Maharashtra. The incident happened on February 14 and the police have arrested the driver of the vehicle. Neelam Shinde, who suffered head injuries and fractures on her hand and leg, was admitted to a hospital, where she has been in a coma for 10 days.

Father of the student, Tanaji Shinde, said that the family came to know about the accident only on February 16, two days after the incident. “They told us that she has met with a huge accident,” he said.

He said they have been trying to get a visa since then but have had no luck.

“But we haven’t got it yet,” he said.

The father of the girl said that the hospital took their permission to operate on Neelam. “She is in a coma right now, and we need to be there,” the father said.

NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule, too, has sought External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s help in getting a visa for the family of the girl.

In a post on X, Supriya Sule wrote: “Student Neelam Shinde has met with an accident in the USA and is hospitalized in a local hospital. Her father, Tanaji Shinde, from Satara, Maharashtra, India, urgently needs to visit his daughter due to a medical emergency. Tanaji Shinde has applied for an urgent visa to the USA and requires assistance.”