Kansas killing latest in series of tragedies to hit Telugus in US

Hyderabad, February 25 

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The killing of Srinivas Kuchibhotla has come as yet another blow to the Telugu community in the US and has focused attention on a series of tragedies that have struck immigrants from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in recent times.

Kuchibhotla of Hyderabad was killed and his colleague Alok Madasani from Warangal district in Telangana was injured in a shooting in a bar in Olathe, Kansas.

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The two engineers were working as aviation programme managers at Garmin, a MNC. Kuchibhotla, 32, is the second man from Telangana to die in a shootout in the US this month.

Software engineer Vamshi Reddy Mamidala was shot dead in Milpitas, California, on February 10, by an offender in the garage of his apartment building.

The 27-year-old, who hailed from Warangal district, died when the assailant opened fire while fleeing after robbing a woman.

These are not isolated incidents. More than 30 techies and students from the two Telugu states have died since 2008, victims of crime or accidents. Young dreams were cut short by the disasters that hit one of the largest groups among the Indian community in the US.

Early last year, Shiva Karan, a 23-year-old student from Hyderabad, committed suicide, reportedly due to depression. He was pursuing a master’s programme in Raleigh of North Carolina State University.

In June 2015, Sai Kiran, 23, of Hyderabad was shot dead by a robber in Florida after he refused to part with his mobile phone.

Sai Kiran was pursuing his MS from Atlantic University and had left India only a month and a half back. In a similar case in 2014, Elaprolu Jayachandra, 22, was shot dead during a robbery at a convenience store in Pasadena, Texas, where he was working.

Indian Americans who have spent considerable time in the US point out that among various ethnic communities in the US, the Indians are doing well and among Indians, Telugus have excelled in various fields.

More than 600,000 Telugus are estimated to be living in the US. Many youngsters are pursuing advanced degrees and have become successful software professionals, engineers, doctors and business managers. — IANS