BERKELEY -- UC Berkeley is mourning the loss of Cal student Tarishi Jain, who was killed in Saturday's terrorist attack in Bangladesh, as the school tries to ensure that other Berkeley students in the area for a summer internship remain safe, Chancellor Nicholas Dirks said in a statement Saturday.
Dirks said Jain and seven other students were completing internships with UC Berkeley's Subir and Malini Chowdhury Center for Bangladesh Studies. Tarishi came to UC Berkeley in 2015 and planned to major in economics, Dirks said.
Jain, 19, was among 20 hostages killed during the 11-hour standoff at a Dhaka restaurant. The Islamic State terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack.
Tarishi Jain, a UC Berkeley student who was killed in a terror attack in Bangladesh.
Tarishi Jain, a UC Berkeley student who was killed in a terror attack in Bangladesh. ( Courtesy of UC Berkeley )
"We have been in contact with her family to provide assistance in any way that we can and are working closely with our other students there to assist them in staying safe and determining whether they leave the area," Dirks said.
"Our counseling services staff and CARE services are available to support for faculty, students and staff on campus as we mourn this tragic loss."
About 35 people were taken hostage Friday night when gunmen stormed the popular Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka's Gulshan area, a diplomatic zone, during the Ramadan holy month.
Paramilitary troops who mounted the rescue operations in the morning killed six attackers and recovered explosive devices and sharp weapons from the scene, Brig. Gen. Nayeem Ashfaq Chowdhury said. He did not identify the hostages.
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The campus student union is planning a vigil and memorial, with details to be released soon, Dirks wrote. "On behalf of our entire campus, we send our deepest condolences to her family and friends and to all the other families who have suffered such a devastating loss," he said.
Cal student Chanakya Varma said Saturday he had met Jain at an orientation for international students, where they commiserated over expensive school fees and the "falling dollar to rupee ratio," and began a close friendship. "I think what really set her apart was her ability to instantly connect with people," said Varma, who is studying economics as Jain was. "Tarishi had some of the most diverse group of friends. She saw the good in everyone and was always willing to approach life with an open mind."
Jain, who was preparing for her sophomore year at Cal, had discussed applying her economics education in the region where she died, Varma said. "A lot of her life revolved around understanding different cultures and empowering them, economically and socially," Varma said. "She did tell me at times that she'd wanted to go back to India and Bangladesh, and work with the local communities and help them."
In an interview with the Asian newspaper Khaleej Times, Jain's family members recounted a phone call they received from her while she was held captive in the restaurant.
They said Jain called them about 1:30 a.m. and said she had locked herself in a cafe restroom as armed assailants opened fire.
"She told us that gunmen were around and that she had locked herself in one of the toilets of the restaurant," her uncle, Rakesh Mohan Jain, reportedly told the paper.
He added that they later tried to connect with her, but the call went unanswered. It was only answered at 6:30 a.m., but no one spoke from the other end.
"She was a smart and ambitious young woman with a big heart," said Sanchita Saxena, executive director of the Institute for South Asia Studies and director of the Center for Bangladesh Studies, in a post by the university.
Jain's father, Sanjeev Jain, is a textile merchant based in Dhaka and was among family members and friends outside the bakery awaiting news of their loved ones during the standoff, according to the university. She was a graduate of the American International School in Dhaka.
With the sound of gunfire and explosions, local TV stations reported that the rescue operation began at 7:40 a.m. It included army personnel with automatic weapons and at least seven armored vehicles and ambulances. The attackers did not respond to authorities' calls for negotiation, said Lt. Col. Tuhin Mohammad Masud, commander of the Rapid Action Battalion that conducted the rescue operations.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina condemned the attack, and she said security officials arrested one of the militants.
"Because of the effort of the joint force, the terrorists could not flee," Hasina said in a nationally televised speech, vowing to fight militant attacks in the country.
Dirks' statement was posted on the university's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/UCBerkeley/
The Associated Press contributed to this story.