SAN FRANCISCO (Diya TV) — Grieving family and friends mourned the death of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, the Indian engineer who was shot and killed last week at Austins Bar & Grill in Olathe, Ka., during funeral services held in his southern Indian hometown Tuesday.
Kuchibhotla’s wife, Sunayana Dumala, and his family, friends and hundreds of people including politicians said their goodbyes during the ceremony in Hyderabad, according to the Times of India and the Hindustan Times.
Kuchibhotla’s body arrived in Hyderabad Monday night. Hours later, his body was taken in an open carriage from his home to a crematorium where it was placed on a wooden pyre. Tears rolled down the cheeks of Kuchibhotla’s parents, Madhusudhan Rao and Parvatha Vardhini, as his body was cremated in Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana state.
“It is so cruel,” P.L. Narayana said of losing his nephew. “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.”
Sushil Rao, a journalist, tweeted that the Indian government should “institute awards for those who protect Indians abroad.” He then mentioned Ian Grillot, who was shot by Kuchibhotla’s alleged killer when he attempted to intervene during the shooting. Paul Oommen, an India-based journalist for The Associated Press, tweeted that he overheard someone say in the Kuchibhotla residence that “if India had enough opportunities we wouldn’t have had to send our kids abroad.”
An Indian External Affairs Ministry statement said Tuesday that the U.S. government and senior authorities in Kansas responded to Kuchibhotla’s death.
“It is important to note that the U.S. authorities are engaged with us on the larger concern regarding safety of Indians in the U.S., a matter which continues to receive the government’s top priority,” the statement said.
Information from The Associated Press and The Kansas City Star contributed to this report.
