Agencies

April 18: Indian embassy officials have confirmed that 26-year-old Minal Panchal, an Indian student at Virginia Tech University, is dead.

Minal, an architecture student had gone missing after Monday's shootout at the university.

University authorities have announced two or three hours ago that she was one of the causalities in the shooting, said Prof Kumar Mallikarjuna, Associate Professor, Virginia Tech.

The reason they could not confirm Minal was that she did not have an ID. It took them some time to find out who she was. They took the fingerprints and were trying to relate that to the immigration papers, he added.

Called 'Minu' by her friends, 26-year-old Minal Panchal went to Our Lady Of Remedy High School in Mumbai and later graduated from the Rizvi college of Architecture in Bandra, Mumbai.

Her neighbours remember her as a very bright student who ranked high in the CET exam.

She went to Virginia Tech University in August 2006. She was passionate about the environment and architecture and was also fond of reading, sketching, watching movies and spending time with friends.

Thousands of well-wishers have logged onto the web and paid their condolences to Minal or her Orkut web page.

Minal's father passed away a few years ago and her mother was reportedly visiting her other sister who also lives in the United States.

For two days Indians on the campus had been dealing with emotional trauma of their own and there were angry questions about why it took so long to identify Minal's body.

I do not think this is a case of raising false hopes. This is the way these things are done in this country. There are certain layers of positive identification needed and that is what they did, said Krishan Verma, an Indian Embassy official in Washington DC.

Indian professor killed

A graduate student from Mumbai, Minal was in the class being taught by professor G V Loganathan, the other Indian who was killed in the campus carnage.

The professor was killed while taking a class in mechanics. This was the second classroom that the gunman entered.

Professor Loganathan was born in Tamil Nadu's Erode district and taught in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Virginia campus.

His programme area was environmental and water resources engineering, and he had received many awards for excellence in teaching.

An alumnus of IIT-Kanpur, he completed his doctorate at the Purdue University and joined the Virginia Tech University in 1982.

In its reaction, the Kanpur IIT has condemned the shootout and held a condolence meeting.

IIT-Kanpur Director Sanjay Dhande said that the institute was trying to find out about any students who might be in Virginia.

I am deeply shocked to hear about the violence on the Virginia Tech campus. Dr Loganathan was a friend and colleague. I too have taught at Virginia Tech and know the campus, faculty members.

He was a simple, modest, family-oriented man who was just doing his duty and was unfortunately caught in the firing and succumbed to injuries. I am saddened and hope his family has the courage to get through this, said Dhande.

Family shocked

Professor Loganathan's family was in shock upon receiving the news of his death. His parents and two younger brothers find it difficult to believe he's no more.

The professor had told them that he was planning to move to India in a year or two.

It's a terrible shock. He called two days ago and said that he would come to India in two years, said Kannammal, Mother of Professor G V Loganathan.

Professor Loganathan is survived by his wife and two daughters, the elder of whom studies at Virginia Tech University.

The family says that the last rites will be conducted in the US, as the professor had wished, and nine of his family members, including his elderly parents, will be travelling to the US.

The Regional Passport office in Chennai has issued passports for GK Vasudevan and V Kannammal, parents of Loganathan, his brother Senguttuvelan and his wife Senthamizhselvi, following instructions from the external affairs ministry