The murder of Srinivas Kuchibhotla — the Indian engineer was shot in an apparent act of racial violence at a restaurant in Kansas City on Wednesday — is an isolated incident, according to a community organiser living there for the last 16 years. An estimated 4000 people of Indian-origin live in the Midwestern State of Kansas according to a recent mapping, said Indian consul general in Huston Anupam Ray.
Bindulatha Cheedella, coordinator for Telugu Association of North America (TANA) in Kansas came to the city in 2000, and never left despite having several options, she told The Hindu by phone. “This is the place I call home,” she said. She and her husband run companies, and travel all over the U.S for work. “But we believe this is the best place for our children,” the mother of two said. The older one is in high school and the younger in middle school.
When H-1B was under process
Ms. Cheedella was with Sunayana Dumala, the widow of Kuchibhotla, until the latter left with her husband’s body on Saturday. Ms. Dumala, who has been working on an H-4 visa may not be able return to the U.S immediately as her visa was linked to Kuchibhotla’s H-1B visa. Kuchibotla’s application for a permanent residency or green card was under process when the tragedy struck. Ms. Dumala’s lawyers are exploring avenues available for her to return to the U.S. The couple had bought a house recently. As the outpouring of public sympathy continues, a GoFundMe page has raised more than $ 6,00,000 for the family, until Monday.
Kansas Governor and other officials have taken the incident very seriously, and are disturbed by it, said Mr. Ray. Mr. Ray said he would be meeting the Governor, along with the Indian American community leaders within the next two weeks.
Ms. Cheedella said the community mostly mingle among themselves along linguistic lines and take little interest in politics. “But we have links with the local Congressman. He has always been helpful,” she said. Social life is mostly around dinner gatherings at one another’s place, but the younger ones also go out to restaurants and bars, she said. “I move around in all parts of the city, and have never felt threatened,” she said.
Here is the hero
TANA has also decided to honour Ian Grillot, the white American who tried to stop the shooter who attacked Kuchibhotla and his friend Alok Madasani, who survived. Satish Vemana, the president-elect of TANA told The Hindu that the Telugu community in the U.S would honour the courage and humanity of Mr. Grillot. “In this tragedy, Mr. Grillot is a shining example of humanity. And we are planning to thank him and honour him during our annual convention in May in St. Louis, Missouri,” said Mr. Vemana.
