A large number of people from various walks of life made a beeline for the residence of slain techie Srinivas Kuchibhotla in Praneet Nature Bounty colony in Mallampet on Tuesday morning to pay their last respects to him even as family members prepared for his last journey.
The gated community residence of Srinivas saw a steady stream of visitors going in and placing garlands and wreath on the mortal remains kept in a body freezer. Visitors, old and young, consoled the parents of Srinivas – Kuchibhotla Madhusudhana Rao and Vardhini – who were inconsolable.
Srinivas's wife Sunayana Dumala had accompanied the mortal remains of her husband from Kansas, U.S.. The body arrived at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on Monday night and was taken in a convoy to his residence about 40 km from the Shamshabad airport.
Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, was shot dead, allegedly by a 51-year-old Navy veteran inside a bar at Olathe in Kansas, while another Indian Alok Madasani sustained a bleeding injury along with a U.S. national in what is seen as an apparent act of racial hatred last week.
Mourners gathered at the residence and expressed their anguish at the untimely death of the young techie. A woman neighbour of the Kuchibhotla family recalled Srinivas as a very gentle person, who commanded respect of the colony people. “This should not have happened to the low profile Kuchibhotla family. They are such a quiet family, and mingled with everyone. Colony residents felt proud that Srinivas made it big at a young age,” she said.
The family members began preparations for the last rites as purohits arrived to conduct the customary rituals. A flower decked hearse van from Mahaprasthanam, the ultra modern crematorium at posh Jubilee Hills of Hyderabad, arrived to carry the mortal remains of Srinivas.
As the rush of people increased, police personnel deployed barricades at the front portion of the house. Media personnel, who tried to enter the house, were kept at bay following a request from the family members.
BJP national general secretary Muralidhar Rao also visited and offered his tributes to the slain techie and spoke to the family members.
