Indian-origin student Akul Dhawan froze to death after US nightclub denied him entry

Akul Dhawan was found dead on January 20 in Illinois (Image credit: LinkedIn)

An Indian-American student froze to death near the US nightclub that denied him entry last month, officials have said. Akul Dhawan was a student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He was found dead on January 20 - his body was discovered on the back porch of a building near campus. He was 18.

The Champaign County Coroner's Office in Illinois said in a press release on February 20 that Dhawan died of hypothermia. “Acute alcohol intoxication and prolonged exposure to extremely cold temperatures, significantly contributed to his death,” the coroner’s office said following an autopsy.

Dhawan’s death was ruled accidental with no suspicion of foul play.

What happened on January 19?

On January 19, Akul Dhawan left his university residence hall along with some friends. They had been consuming alcohol in the residence hall.

The group reached Canopy Club around 10 pm, where they stayed for around 45 minutes before leaving for Green Street. “Security video obtained later showed him consuming more alcohol before the group returned to Canopy Club,” the campus police said in a press release.

“Dhawan’s friends re-entered Canopy Club between 11:25 p.m. and 11:29 p.m. while Mr. Dhawan remained outside. He was denied entry by venue staff when he attempted to enter at 11:31 pm,” the release said.

Dhawan tried to re-enter the club multiple times but was refused entry each time. Venue staff called two rideshare vehicles to pick him up, but Dhawan declined both rides. Several friends tried calling Dhawan but his phone went unanswered.

At 1.23 am, a friend of Dhawan’s called the police, expressing concern about his whereabouts.

Dhawan’s body was discovered at 11.08 am on January 20 by a university employee. The 18-year-old was found lying on the steps of a university building. He had died of hypothermia.