Shock and outrage over shooting of two Indian men in Kansas City
The shooting of two Indian men in a crowded Kansas City bar has sparked outrage in their home country.
The Indian government has rushed diplomats to the US state to monitor progress in the investigation into the death of Srinivas Kuchibhotla and the wounding of Alok Madasani in the town of Olathe on Wednesday night.
Jaganmohan Reddy, the father of engineer Mr Madasani, described the shooting as a hate crime, adding that such incidents have increased after the recent political changes in the US.
The dead man, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, also an engineer, hailed from Hyderabad, the capital of southern Telangana state.
India's external affairs spokesman Vikas Swarup said two Indian consulate officials from Houston and Dallas had been dispatched to Kansas City to meet Mr Madasani and help to organise the repatriation of the body of Mr Kuchibhotla.
A suspect, named as Adam Purinton, has been taken into custody and charged with murder and attempted murder.
Ian Grillot, a 24-year-old American who jumped to the defence of the Indians in the bar, was hailed as a hero by the local media. He also was injured in the incident.
"Decency and humanity always triumph in the end, but not without struggle and sacrifice," said Jayaprakash Narayan, a Hyderabad-based activist, who lauded Mr Grillot's bravery.
The US embassy in New Delhi strongly condemned the shooting.
An official said: "The United States is a nation of immigrants and welcomes people from across the world to visit, work, study, and live.
Indian shot dead by American spewing racial slurs in Kansas
— The Times Of India (@timesofindia) February 24, 2017
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"US authorities will investigate thoroughly and prosecute the case, though we recognise that justice is small consolation to families in grief."
Mr Reddy said he learned about the shooting from his eldest son, who lives in Dallas.
His younger son moved to the US in 2008 for his master's degree.
"But he never faced any problems," he told reporters in Warangal, a town in southern Indian state of Telangana.
In 2016, a Sikh professor was allegedly attacked by a group of men who called him "Osama" and "terrorist". He was apparently mistaken for a Muslim.
Hindu and Sikh shrines were also vandalised in California and Wisconsin in 2013 with the word "terrorist'" scrawled on their walls.
