Candlelight vigil held for Indian engineer killed in possible hate crime

The fatal shooting of an engineer from India in a Kansas restaurant has sparked outrage both in the United States and the victim’s home country.

The Indian-American community and other locals gathered at the First Baptist Church in Olathe, Kansas, on Saturday night for a vigil in honor of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who died at a late night shooting on Wednesday.

Mayor Michael Copeland encouraged people to come together, saying, “One evil act does not divide a united community.”

Many carried candles and signs reading, “We don’t support politics of hate.”

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• Indian man shot dead in US in possible hate crime

Prayers were offered for the 32-year-old engineer, as well as another Indian man and an American who were injured when a white US Navy veteran yelling “get out of my country” and “terrorist” opened fire on them in an apparent racially-motivated hate crime. 

Adam Purinton, 51, of Olathe was charged Thursday with first-degree murder in the death of Kuchibhotla.

The incident captured headlines in India and triggered rage on social media where people blamed President Donald Trump for fueling a climate of intolerance with his "America First" position on immigration and jobs.

“I need an answer. I need an answer from the government. I need an answer for everyone out there,” Sunayana Dumala, the widow of the engineer, said. “Not just for my husband ... but for everyone, all those people of any race.”

Federal authorities said Friday that they were investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer, however, said Friday it would be absurd to link the attack to Trump's rhetoric.

“Obviously, any loss of life is tragic, but I’m not going to get into, like, to suggest that there’s any correlation I think is a bit absurd. So I’m not going to go any further than that,” Spicer said.

People in India also held a rally to denounce the killing as well as the US government’s silence on the hate-filled attack. Protesters in the southern Indian city of Vijayawada burnt the effigy of President Trump, accusing him of fueling hatred against immigrants.

A recent FBI report shows an uptick in hate crimes, including ethnic bias and xenophobia, since the start of the 2016 US presidential election race.

Last October, two men were charged with hate crimes in Richmond, California, after being accused of beating an Indian Sikh and using a knife to cut his hair.

The latest shooting episode has raised fresh concerns about treatment of foreigners in Trump’s America.

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