‘Don’t speak Indian languages in US’

Panic-stricken techies are trying to keep their community safe after a Hyderabad-origin techie Srinivas Kuchibotla was killed and his friend Alok Reddy Madasani was injured in a shooting at a Kansas City bar on Wednesday. 

An initiative by Vikram Jangam, general secretary of the Telangana American Telugu Association (TATA), the tips include ‘Do not get into argument with others at public places’ and ‘Should someone be provoking you, please leave the place immediately’. Stating that life is precious than anything else, he tells members of the community, “As much as we love talking in our mother tongue, it can often be misconstrued. See if you can communicate in English in public places.” 

These tips have been circulated through WhatsApp groups and are accompanied by heartfelt warnings to stay safe.

Amid growing voices denouncing hate crimes in the US, Sunayana Dumala, grieving wife of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, has demanded an answer from the US government. Speaking at a news conference organised by GPS-maker Garmin where Srinivas worked, Sunayana asked: “Do we belong here?”, adding, “Not everyone will be harmful to this country”. 

“He did not deserve a death like this. We have read many times in newspapers of some kind of shooting happening somewhere. I was always concerned, ‘Are we doing the right thing staying in the US or America?’ But he always assured me good things happen in America.”