US veteran kills Indian engineer in racist attack

Fear and outrage gripped the Indian-American community after 51-year-old US Navy veteran Adam Purinton was charged with killing an Indian-origin engineer, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, and wounding two others — Alok Reddy Madasani (31), who is also India born, and Ian Grillot (24) —  in a bar in Olathe, Kansas, on Wednesday.

Kuchibhotla was working at GPS maker Garmin in Olathe. Grillot, an American, was injured when he tried to intervene. The incident took place at the Austins Bar and Grill, where Purinton reportedly got into an argument with the victims, and shouted “Get out of my country”,  and “terrorist” before shooting them. 

Kuchibhotla’s body is in the process of being sent back to Hyderabad, where his parents are yet to come to terms with the news. His maternal uncle, Bacchupally, said that Kuchibhotla’s parents are still in a state of denial with the mother unable to speak after hearing the news. 

The shootings seem to confirm hardening attitudes and growing support by right-wing Americans towards President Trump’s policy of ‘America First’. While the Trump administration has indicated it will halve the number of green card holders from 1 million to 500,000 each year — a blow for Indians seeking permanent residency in the US, other issues such as security worry the community.

Speaking to DNA, Alok’s father, Jaganmohan Reddy, admitted that the situation in the US has certainly changed. “While I don’t want to get into the issue, I will certainly say that the situation has changed from the time of Barack Obama,” said Reddy. 

He also cautioned Indian parents planning against sending their children to the US for studies or even for jobs. “Why only go to the US? There are plenty of other opportunities in other countries.”

Kuchibhotla, who received a master’s degree in electronics from the University of Texas in El Paso in 2007, according to LinkedIn, was married but had no children. His Facebook page, where he called himself “Srinu”, said that in 2014 he joined the Kansas office of Rockwell Collins Inc. 

Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj mourned the killing of Srinivas and assured the family that all assistance would be provided. In a series of tweets, she wrote: “I am shocked at the shooting incident in Kansas in which Srinivas Kuchibhotla has been killed. I have spoken to the Indian Ambassador in US, Navtej Sarna, and have been informed that two Indian Embassy officials have rushed to Kansas.” 

The US Embassy also condemned the killing of Srinivas. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Mr Kuchibhotla. We share their grief, and wish a full and speedy recovery to those who were injured,” the US Embassy press release said.

“We understand that the alleged shooter is in custody and is expected to be prosecuted for the crime. US Federal authorities are also investigating the case. We have full faith that US legal authorities will bring the case to justice,” it said.

As for Kuchibhotla’s injured colleague Alok Reddy Madasani, his father said that he is still in a state of shock after the incident. “I spoke to him in the morning, he is in shock. Although he has been discharged from the hospital in Kansas (where he was taken after the incident) he is not in a position to speak,” said Reddy.

The incident is all the more shocking for the family as Alok’s wife is expecting. 

Even though Kuchibhotla’s and Reddy’s family did not know each other, the tragedy has brought them together. Earlier in the day on Friday, Reddy visited Srinivas’ parents at their Hyderabad residence.

Meanwhile in Kansas, a GoFundMe page was set up to help raise funds to send Kuchibhotla’s body home to India. Also, expressing their empathy for the victims and their families, Austin’s Bar & Grill has decided to remain shut till Saturday in order to give their staff time to process the event.