Following the shooting of NRI engineer Srinivas Kuchibotla in Kansas recently, the Non-Resident Indian Forum, Karnataka, constituted by the State government advised non-resident Kannadigas in the U.S. to avoid speaking in their mother tongue in public places to avoid becoming soft targets, said its Deputy Chairperson Arathi Krishna.
The Kansas incident, an act of hate crime, has created a sense of insecurity among the NRIs in the U.S. Many Kannadigas there have shared their apprehensions with the NRI Forum over the issue. While counselling such persons, the forum has advised them to speak in English and avoid venturing out alone, she said at a press conference here on Thursday.
The forum has requested the State government to observe Karnataka Divas once in two years in Bengaluru on the model of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to recognise and appreciate the achievement of Kannadigas residing abroad. It has planned to create a comprehensive database of Kannadigas residing abroad and establish a revolving fund to extend aid for non-resident Kannadigas in case of death in a foreign nation, she said.
In jails
Replying to a query, she said around 4,000 Kannadigas are languishing in jails in foreign countries. In many cases, they have been arrested for petty offences committed owing to ignorance of foreign laws, she said.
