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Killing of Indian man in Kansas bar investigated as possible hate crime Shooting in Kansas bar sends shockwaves through India
(about 1 hour later)
An Indian man has been shot dead in a bar in Kansas in what authorities are investigating as a possible hate crime. The killing of an Indian-born engineer in a Kansas bar by a man reported to have shouted “go back to your country” before opening fire has sent shockwaves through India.
Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed in Olathe on Wednesday evening. Another Indian man, Alok Madasani, 32, was wounded in the shooting. Adam Purinton, 51, has been charged with murder. Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32 and his friend Alok Madasani, both employees at tech company Garmin, were having a drink at a bar on Thursday when Adam Purinton, 51, allegedly shouted racist slurs at the pair and opened fire. Kuchibhotla died later in hospital from his wounds. Madasani and a third man, Ian Grillot, who had stepped in to defend the pair, were injured.
At least one bystander told the Kansas City Star that Purinton allegedly shouted “get out of my country” before the shooting. He is also accused of wounding American Ian Grillot, 24, who was shot when he tried to intervene, the Star reported. Purinton, a navy veteran, has been charged with murder. Eyewitnesses say he believed the victims were of Middle Eastern origin and shouted “go back to your country” before shooting. Authorities have not yet classified the attack as a hate crime.
Two officials from the Indian consulate in Houston were going to Kansas to meet the injured men and police to “ascertain more details of the incident and monitor follow-up action”, the Indian ministry of external affairs spokesman, Vikas Swarup, said in a statement. The incident has been front page news in India, which provides the US with some its most highly skilled and highly educated workers. Sushma Swaraj, India’s minister of external affairs, tweeted:
“I am shocked at the shooting incident in Kansas in which Srinivas Kuchibhotla has been killed. My heartfelt condolences to bereaved family,” the minister of external affairs, Sushma Swaraj, tweeted. I am shocked at the shooting incident in Kansas in which Srinivas Kuchibhotla has been killed. My heartfelt condolences to bereaved family.
The US embassy in Delhi condemned the shooting. “The United States is a nation of immigrants and welcomes people from across the world to visit, work, study and live,” the US chargé d’affaires, MaryKay Carlson, said in a statement. Madasani’s father was quoted by the Deccan Chronicle newspaper saying: “After this nightmarish incident, do we really need to go to work in US?”
“US authorities will investigate thoroughly and prosecute the case, though we recognize that justice is small consolation to families in grief.” The shooting has sparked widespread concern among Indian parents who have children living in the US. One parent, Sreemala from Kuchibhotla’s home state of Telegana, told NewsMinute: “My daughter is working in the US. I have made it mandatory for her to call me twice a day after the recent incidents happening in US.
“Last week, she forgot to call me at night and her phone was unreachable. I cannot explain my situation in words. I couldn’t sleep the whole night. After Trump, it has become worse. Earlier, there used to frequent robbery on the streets, but now they are shooting our children. How we are supposed to stay calm?”
In India, newspapers and television reports covered the Kansas shooting extensively, with editorials in newspapers raising concerns about the safety of Indians in the US, and headlines labelling Grillot a hero. The 24-year old was shot in the hand and chest as he tried to stop Purinton. In a video from his hospital bed, he said: “I was just doing what anyone should have done for another human being. It’s not about where he’s from, we’re all humans.”
Since Trump’s election, Indians have also been alarmed by Trump’s remarks about tightening the H1-B visa programme for skilled foreign workers.
The Hindu American foundation condemned the killing, saying: “The murder of Kuchibhotla is the first reported bias-motivated fatality in the United States after the bitter presidential election.”
The US embassy in Delhi also condemned the shooting. “The United States is a nation of immigrants and welcomes people from across the world to visit, work, study, and live,” the US chargé d’affaires, MaryKay Carlson, said in a statement.
“US authorities will investigate thoroughly and prosecute the case, though we recognise that justice is small consolation to families in grief.”
The Johnson county district attorney, Steve Howe, would not elaborate on the details of the incident or the motive for the shooting. “We want to be able to be sure about our facts versus speculation. So we are not prepared at this point to talk about the particular facts of the case because this is still very fresh,” he said.The Johnson county district attorney, Steve Howe, would not elaborate on the details of the incident or the motive for the shooting. “We want to be able to be sure about our facts versus speculation. So we are not prepared at this point to talk about the particular facts of the case because this is still very fresh,” he said.
Kavipriya Muthuramalingam, a friend and former colleague of Kuchibhotla, has raised more than $250,000 via a crowdfunding website to help his family with funeral expenses.
“This came as an incredible shock – as he is one of the most gentle, nicest human beings you would meet,” Muthuramalingam said. “He was non-confrontational, non-controversial, easy-going, always smiling.”
The killing led news bulletins in India and drew strong reactions on social media, amid growing concerns that Donald Trump’s “America first” rhetoric on immigration and jobs has fuelled a climate of intolerance.
Siddharth, a well-known South Indian actor, tweeted to his 2.6 million followers:
Don't be shocked! Be angry! Trump is spreading hate. This is a hate crime! RIP #SrinivasKuchibhotla https://t.co/BHiSY7SiCH
Kuchibhotla’s Facebook page, on which he called himself “Srinu”, said he studied for a master’s degree in electronics at the University of Texas in El Paso from 2005-07. He was married but had no children.
The FBI said it was investigating whether the incident was a hate crime. “We are looking at whether the crime was committed via bias motivation. We are really at the preliminary stage of looking at every aspect,” said Eric Jackson, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Kansas City field office, during the news conference.
There was a wave of reported hate crimes in the US, including a spike in the number of anti-immigrant incidents, during the first month after Trump’s election in November, the Southern Poverty Law Center reported.
Kuchibhotla and Madasani were aviation systems engineers at a company called Garmin, the Star reported.
Purinton ran from the bar and was apprehended five hours later at an Applebee’s restaurant in Clinton, Missouri, where he reportedly told an employee he needed a place to hide out because he had just killed two Middle Eastern men, the Star reported.
Purinton, who was not armed, was arrested without incident, the newspaper reported.
The navy veteran was being held on a $2m bond in the Henry county jail, where he waived his right to fight extradition to Johnson county, the paper reported.