WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) —Tonight Hundreds from the Purdue community gathered around the unfinished 'P' statue for the Vigil in honor of Varun Chheda.
Varun Chheda was the Purdue Student who was killed in his dorm by his roommate at approximately 12:45 in the morning October 5th.
The Vigil was run by the Resident hall association and the Asian Union Student board of Purdue.
As many arrived, they dropped off flowers and letters at the P statue. The formal part of the Vigil was brief but heartfelt. Every student who came held a candle in honor of Chheda and his legacy.
The Resident hall association encourages students to write memories and kind words about Chheda to place on the P at the end of the Vigil.
Both the Director of the Asian American and Asian Resource Cultural Center, and a member of the Asian Union Student Board spoke tonight.
“My encouragement tonight is that we will go through this together and in unity as a boilermaker family. My heart goes to all of us here and we will go through this together in this difficult time,” Said Dr. Pamela Sari, Director of the Asian American and Asian Resource Cultural Center.”
Katelyn On, The member of the Asian Union Student Board, spoke in memory of Chheda’s legacy at Purdue.
“Varun Manish Chheda was no different than the rest of us here today. He lived on campus faced the rigorous curriculum at Purdue and chose to come to this school in hopes of a successful future. Amongst all that he had was friends and family that cared so much and deeply for him. It's incomprehensibly difficult to deal with the loss of a loved one. So we ask that you guys join us in sending all of our love and support to the loved ones of Varun,” Said Katelyn On.
Every Speaker at the Vigil highly encouraged students affected by Chheda’s death to reach out to a variety of counseling options provided by Purdue University.
