Hundreds of people gathered as Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was shot dead in the United States, was cremated in Hyderabad on Tuesday. Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya was among the many politicians present at Jubilee Hills as Kuchibhotla’s funeral pyre was lit, PTI reported.
The funeral procession started from his residence in Bachupalli on Tuesday afternoon. Several mourners shouted slogans, such as “Srinivas Kuchibhotla Amar Rahe” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, reported The NewsMinute.
Kuchibhotla’s body was brought to India by a cargo flight at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on Monday night. His wife Sunayana Dumala also reached Hyderabad along with her brother and sister-in-law from the US.
This comes hour after the Telangana American Telugu Association has asked members of the community living in the US to avoid speaking in their native language in public places.“Much as we love talking in our mother tongue, it can often be misconstrued. Please see if you can communicate in English in public places,” the association said.
Kuchibhotla was shot dead at a Kansas City bar on February 23 by a Navy veteran, Adam Puriton. His friend Alok Madasani and another American friend, Ian Grillot were shot at too by Puriton. Eyewitnesses at the Austins Bar and Grill had heard Adam Puriton shout “Get out of my country” before he started shooting at the men, whom he had believed were Arabs.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Tuesday said the reports about the shooting were “disturbing”. “No one in America should feel afraid to follow the religion of their choosing freely and openly. The President has dedicated to preserving this originating principle of our nation,” Spicer said.
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