Questions rise as White House stays silent on Indian’s killing

As Srinivas Kuchibhotla’s family tries to deal with the aviation engineer’s coldblooded murder, questions are being raised about the lack of attention the ‘race crime’ has received from the White House.

There was no comment from the White House until Friday, when the shootings were raised at the daily briefing, and only to dismiss suggestions that President Donald Trump’s rhetoric may have been responsible for it.

Srinivas’ body is arriving in Hyderabad on Monday evening, accompanied by his wife, a Telangana minister told reporters.

The unusual silence appeared to have irked many in India, including Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu.

“American president and people should come out openly and condemn such actions and then take strongest action and send a message that this is not acceptable,” Naidu said.

Adam Purinton, the shooter, had apparently mistaken Kuchibhotla and Alok Madasani, a colleague from GPS technology major Garmin for Middle Easterners, was heard telling them to “get out of my country” before allegedly opening fire at a bar in Kansas on Wednesday.

But Purinton’s neighbour told police he didn’t believe the shooting stemmed from hatred, and that it likely resulted from his physical and mental deterioration.

“He was a drunken mess,” his neighbour Andy Berthelsen said. (With agency inputs)