After visa, attacks against diaspora in US another conundrum for India

THE PREVAILING SITUATION IN THE US AND THE COMPULSIONS OF THE INDIAN GOVT MAKE THE NORMAL PROCESS A TENUOUS AFFAIR TO FOLLOW

crime against the Indian national.

Then came to the light the death of 43-year-old Harnish Patel, an owner of a convenience store, in Lancaster County, South Carolina. He was found dead of gunshot wounds in the courtyard of his home on Thursday. Patel was a US national and the county officials are of the view that what had happened looked like a burglary attempt going totally wrong and further investigations are on. But India had to rush consular officers to the spot.

In a third incident, an Indianorigin Sikh man was shot at in his driveway in Kent in Washington district by a masked assailant who shouted at him to “go back to your own country”

The Indian embassy in Washington swung into action and identified the victim as Deep Rai, 39-- again an American national.

The situation is tricky for the government. The fabled melting pot that US has been is now seeing attacks on brown-skinned people. Irrespective of their nationality, an Indian origin person is an Indian for most. For the Modi government which takes immense pride in its diaspora— both non-resident Indians and people of Indian origin, the prevailing situation leaves it with not too many options either.