Indian student beaten on Chicago train considers leaving U.S.

An international student’s assault on a Chicago train last month has reignited fears about safety and belonging for foreign nationals studying in the country.

What happened: Roosevelt University student Shubham Patil, 23, was heading home on the Red Line after studying late at around 12:50 a.m. on Jan. 25. He was on the phone with a family member when a man boarded at Belmont station and moved close to him. “He is targeting me I believe because I’m just talking with my grandma on the phone in my own language,” Patil told NBC Chicago. To his shock, the man suddenly struck him repeatedly with fists, knees and legs while other passengers watched. Someone activated the emergency system, but the train operator only directed Patil to change cars. At North-Clybourn station, the attacker followed Patil off and stole his parents’ gold chain before escaping. Police arrived within 10 minutes, but no arrest has been made.

What this means: Patil’s assault reveals how ethnicity has become a liability in America today. For weeks, Minnesota has become a flashpoint for aggressive immigration enforcement, with St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her testifying that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were “going door-to-door asking people where the Asian people live.” In one disturbing incident, agents burst into the St. Paul home of ChongLy “Scott” Thao, a U.S. citizen, at gunpoint and forced him outside in freezing weather wearing only his underwear. The events unfolded as his 4-year-old grandson watched, and he was detained for hours with neither a warrant nor an apology later. Whether confronting random attackers or federal officers, Asian Americans face danger simply for how they look or sound.

What’s next: The trauma has left Patil questioning his future. “I do not feel safe here,” he told NBC Chicago, adding he may withdraw from school this semester. Should he leave, Patil would join other international students driven away by safety concerns. For those who stay, advocacy groups recommend documenting encounters, refusing entry without court-issued warrants and joining community alert networks as the core challenge of ensuring safety for those targeted based on appearance remains.

For now, police are searching for a Black male suspect standing 5 foot 7 to 5 foot 9 and weighing 170 to 190 pounds. He has a thin mustache and was wearing a camouflage balaclava, light hoodie, baseball cap, dark leather coat with light fur, light jeans, and white athletic shoes with dark stripes at the time of the attack. Anyone with information is urged to contact Public Transportation Detectives at 312-745-4447 or submit anonymous tips at CPDTIP.com, case JK126702.