Justice is done, says Sharath''s grieving family

Suresh Dharur
Tribune News Service
Hyderabad, July 16

For the grieving family of Sharath Koppu, a 25-year-old student from Hyderabad gunned down at a restaurant in the US earlier this month, justice has been done with the suspect being killed in an encounter with the Kansas City police.

“We received the communication about the shooting down of my son’s killer. We are happy that justice has been done to my son. But, that does not bring back my innocent son alive. He became a victim for no fault of his. But justice prevailed at last,” said Sharath’s father, Ram Mohan Koppu, an employee with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) at Ameerpet here.

He said his wife was still in a state of shock and her condition was causing serious concern. “We are trying our best to bring her back to normal.”

According to Kansas City Star report, the police gunned down the suspected assailant of Sharath on Sunday evening. Three cops are said to have suffered injuries in the attack by the accused, prompting the cops to return the fire, resulting in his death. The assailant’s name has not yet been revealed.

Ram Mohan urged the US authorities to properly guide Indian students on how they should act in case of sudden attacks by miscreants. “As a father of a son who had fallen to the bullets of a robber in the US, I request the US authorities to guide our students where to live and where not to live,” he said.

He also felt that the US authorities should also issue guidelines to students on taking up part-time jobs.

“Many of our children who go to the US for studies take up petty jobs to make pocket money so as to avoid put more financial stress on their parents. Some guidelines from government’s side and some care by the students would help prevent repeat of such tragedies,” Ram Mohan said.

Sharath’s family hails from Warangal district in Telangana but currently lives in Hyderabad. He did his graduation from Vasavi Engineering College in Hyderabad and left for the US in January last to pursue his masters at University of Missouri-Kansas City and was working as a cashier in a restaurant.

Sharath was shot in the back on July 6 during an armed robbery at a fast food restaurant in Kansas City where he worked. There were some more friends with Sharath when he was attacked. The Kansas police were reported to have found Sharath lying in a pool of blood with a bullet wound.

Jagdeesh Subramanian, president of the India Association of Kansas City, said that “there is some closure" with the person of interest's death, the newspaper reported.