US President Donald Trump has denounced the killing of an Indian engineer, in his first address to a joint session of Congress, saying America is united in condemning “hate and evil in all its forms”.
"Recent threats targeting Jewish community centres and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries, as well as last week's shooting in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms," President Trump said.
32-year-old Srinivas Kuchibhotla was with his friend at a bar in Kansas on Wednesday night when a 51-year-old man allegedly shouted “get out of my country” during an altercation before he fired shots at them.
While Srinivas was killed in the shooting, his friend Alok Madasani and 24-year-old Ian Grillot, a bar patron who intervened got injured.
The shooter, a US Navy veteran, was later arrested from another bar where he reportedly bragged about “killing two Middle-Eastern men”.
The White House spokesperson Sean Spicer last week sought to downplay concerns that the incident was linked to President Trump’s stance on immigrants.
Srinivas’ wife Sunayana, addressing a press conference, said the reports of bias in the US concerned the minorities, and she questioned, “do we belong here”.
She also asked what the US government will do to stop hate crimes against minorities.
On Sunday, India’s Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu called for condemnation of the incident by President Trump.
"American President and people should come out openly and condemn such actions and then take the strongest action and send a message that this is not acceptable," said Mr Naidu.
On Monday, Hillary Clinton had called on President Trump to speak out against the shooting and tweeted, "With threats and hate crimes on the rise, we shouldn't have to tell @POTUS (the President) to do his part. He must step up and speak out."
#FU2Racism | Face Up to Racism Week starts 26 February on SBS. Watch the first show, Is Australia Racist? at SBS OnDemand and below:
Face Up To Racism #FU2Racism with a season of stories and programs challenging preconceptions around race and prejudice. Tune in to watch Is Australia Racist? (airs on Sunday 26 February at 8.30pm), Date My Race (airs Monday 27 February at 8.30pm) and The Truth About Racism (airs Wednesday 1 March at 8.30pm). Watch all the documentaries online after they air onSBS On Demand.
