Body of slain techie reaches Hyderabad, cremation today
KANSAS ATTACK Wife Sunayana accompanies mortal remains of Kuchibhotla
The body of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, an Indian engineer who was shot dead in Kansas in an alleged hate crime, arrived in Hyderabad on Monday amid an emotional atmosphere.
A special flight of Air India, carrying the mortal remains of 32-year old Kuchibhotla, landed at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad on the city outskirts at around 9.40pm. The flight, which was originally supposed to arrive at 8.45pm, was delayed almost by an hour.
Kuchibhotla’s wife Sunayana Dumala, his younger brother Sai Kiran, his wife and a couple of his friends from the US accompanied the body. Friends and several relatives, including Kuchibhotla’s father K Madhusudhana Chary, and a large number of his colony residents, reached the airport to receive the body.
Telangana state transport minister P Mahender Reddy, Malkajgiri MP Ch Malla Reddy, and MLAs G Kishan Reddy and KP Vivekanand, besides Andhra information minister Palle Raghunath Reddy were also among those who were present at the airport.
On behalf of the Telangana government, Mahender Reddy placed a wreath on the body and paid respects to the departed soul.
A convoy then proceeded with the body, which was taken in a special ambulance arranged by the state government, to the family’s residence in Bachupally. According to sources close to his family, the cremation will take place at Mahaprasthanam modern cremation ground at Jubilee Hills at around 11.30 am on Tuesday.
Police made elaborate arrangements on the airport premises to prevent the crowd from disturbing the relatives. Entry to the area, including for the media, was restricted till the convoy left the airport with the body.
Kuchibhotla was killed on Wednesday evening when 52-year-old Adam Purinton walked into Austins Bar and Grill in the Kansas City suburb of Olathe and opened fire. His friend, Alok Madasani, and Ian Grillot, a bar-goer who tried to intervene in the attack, were also shot, but survived.
Witnesses told local media they heard the suspect yell, “Get out of my country.” Meanwhile, the FBI has launched an investigation to determine whether the shooting was a hate crime.
Purinton has been charged with one count of premeditated first-degree murder and two counts of attempted premeditated first-degree murder. Hundreds of people, holding placards that called for peace and unity, took part in a prayer vigil in Kansas City to celebrate the life of Indian techie Srinivas Kuchibhotla, tragically cut short by an American navy veteran in an apparent hate crime.
Marchers held pictures, banners and shouted, “We want peace”; “We love peace”; “Let us not leave our children”; “Unity is part of community, together we stand, divided we fall”.
Many of them carried candles and signs reading, “We don’t support politics of hate.”