Vikram Buddhi | |
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Vikram S. Buddhi |
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Born | 1971 India |
Charge(s) | threatening the life of George W. Bush and Bush's family |
Penalty | sentenced to 57 months of prison |
Status | Released |
Occupation | Student and Teaching Assistant |
Parents | Captain Buddhi K Subbarao and Syamala Buddhi |
Vikram S. Buddhi (born May 10, 1971) was an Indian Ph.D student and teaching assistant at Purdue University who was imprisoned by United States authorities in 2006 for writing anti-Bush content, which involved direct death threats via his yahoo account, and publishing them online.[1][2][3] He was released from prison in May 2011.[4] However, he was re-arrested immediately by the Department of Immigration for not possessing a valid visa, and had so far not been deported to India.[5]
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Buddhi was born to Syamala Buddhi and Captain Buddhi K Subbarao.[6] His father was a senior defense scientist with the Indian navy who had been tried for leaking naval secrets in 1988. However he was acquitted in 1993.[7]
Buddhi was arrested on April 14, 2006 and found guilty of threatening the life of a US President in 2007.[8] Earlier on Friday, February 3, 2006, Buddhi was questioned by the Secret Service who made a formal report saying that Buddhi was not a threat to the US President or any Secret Service protected person.[8]
The prosecution has alleged that Buddhi posted messages on a Yahoo business discussion forum which appeared in December 2005 and January 2006 calling upon the people of Iraq to retaliate against Iraq war and kill then president George W. Bush, vice-president Dick Cheney and their spouses. Buddhi's lawyer Somnath Bharti has alleged that the indictment did not mention any of the alleged charges and the prosecution failed to establish Buddhi as the author of the messages although they originated from a Purdue University IP address. Buddhi had hacked the Yahoo ID's of thousands of Purdue University Students, then used those hacked stolen ID's to spread anti-Bush, Anti-War messages across Yahoo's Discussion Boards, using an automated software program known as a "Bot".[9]
Buddhi has received considerable support from the alumni and staff of the IITs, who have joined with his father and lobbied for his release with External Affairs Minister, SM Krishna[1] and former US President Bill Clinton.[2]