Hyderabad: There were heart-rending scenes in Hyderabad on Tuesday, as the mortal remains of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, the Indian techie who was shot dead in Kansas in an apparent hate crime, were cremated.
Relatives and friends bid a tearful adieu as his last rites were performed at the Vaikuntha Mahaprasthanam crematorium, in the posh Jubilee Hills area of the city.
His parents Madhusudhan Rao and Parvatha Vardhini, surrounded by close family members, were still in deep shock. Tears rolled down their sunken cheeks as pall bearers moved the flower laden body from their home on Hyderabad’s outskirts, on an open carriage, and the procession left for the cremation grounds.
Politicians of various parties were among a large number of visitors to the house at Praneet Nature’s Bounty township at Bachupally who streamed in from Tuesday morning to pay homage to Srinivas.
Srinivas’ body was flown in from Newark, Jersey, to his hometown Hyderabad, on an Air India flight on Monday night.
The body first landed in Mumbai and another connecting flight brought it to Shamshabad International Airport.
The coffin was accompanied by Srinivas’ widow, Sunaina Dumala as well as Sai Kiran, the deceased’s brother who is studying in the US.
Indian external ministry officials had made the arrangements for bringing the body back to India.
Apart from the family members, Telangana Minister P. Mahinder Reddy, member of Parliament Ch Malla Reddy government and police officials were present at the airport to receive the body.
As relatives consoled Sunaina, she appeared lost and dazed.
An ambulance carried the body from airport to the family home at Bachupally in the city outskirts around midnight where grieving and dazed family members had the first glimpse of Srinivas.
The house echoed with the wails of Srinivas’ mother said she wanted her younger son Sai Kiran and his family not to return to the US.
“I will never allow them to go back”, she said amid sobs. “I used to tell Srinivas also to come back if he feels insecure there but he used to say he was safe and secure.”
A resigned Madhusudhan, the father of Srinivas was philosophical in his reaction.
“Whatever was destined to happen, has happened. We only want the US government to take care of the security of our Indians working there.”
The mother said the family was happy that a family member had gone to the US for a better future. “What crime had he committed,” she asked.
“Losing a young family member is an unbearable pain. I never imagined I would have to see this day,” said P.L. Narayana, a great uncle to Srinivas. “It is so cruel. He was such a kind soul, very friendly. He was so excited that he and his wife were going to start a family soon. Now this has happened”.
Srinivas died and his friend and colleague Alok Madasani was injured when US Navy veteran Adam Purinton opened fire at them in a bar, after shouting “get out of my country”.
He was arrested soon after the incident, which is being seen as a hate crime.
The killing has left the entire India, and particularly the Indian community in the US, shocked to the core.
It has also sparked a call from injured Alok Madasani’s father Jaganmohan Reddy to the other parents not to send their children to the USA.
Worried over the incident the Telangana American Telugu Association, a body representing the immigrant community from Telangana state in USA has issued a set of guidelines to its members.
The members have been advised not to speak in their mother tongue Telugu, or any language other than English, as it can be misconstrued. They also been warned not to get into arguments in public places, and to avoid going out on one’s own or living alone in isolated places.
Srinivas had moved to USA in 2005, after finishing his engineering studies at Jawaharlal Nehru Technology University in Hyderabad.
He did his masters at the University of Texas El Paso.
He was working in the aviation wing of technology firm Garmin in Olathe, Kansas.
