Indian national shot dead in US; father says never wanted him to go

MARYLAND: A 25-year-old Indian national was shot dead in Maryland on Sunday morning. The deceased, Sai Charan Nakka, graduated from the University of Cincinnati in January of 2022 and was a native of Telangana. After he was shot, Sai Charan Nakka was taken to the University of Maryland R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center where he was pronounced dead after a while.

His father Nakka Narsimha, a retired headmaster in Telangana's Nalgonda, said, "We did not want to send our son to the US. We wanted him to be here. I had no interest in sending him there and told him not to go." According to Baltimore police, the case is being treated as a homicide investigation and investigating personnel are seeking information from anyone who might have seen suspicious activity.

Shocked at his son's untimely death, Nakka Narsimha, the father of Sai Charan said, "We did not want to send our son to the US. We wanted him to be here. I had no interest in sending him there and told him not to go." "We have learnt about the unfortunate death of Nakka Sai Charan on the early morning of Sunday, June 19, 2022, in Baltimore, Maryland.

Baltimore police have not yet revealed more details on circumstances of death, as the investigation is still in progress," the Indian Embassy said in a statement.

The embassy is in close touch with Sai Charan's family and diaspora members to facilitate early repatriation of mortal remains of Sai Charan," it further added. Due to the ascent in racially-motivated hate crimes in the United States, the North American association of India Students (NAAIS) raised concerns about the rising cases of violence against Indian-origin students and young professionals.

"We implore officials--locally and nationally--to look into certain policies to ensure the safety of all students and young professionals who arrive in the United States. We're reaching out to Sai Charan's classmates from the University of Cincinnati, and we plan to hold a vigil as well," NAAIS said.

The US has been witnessing back-to-back acts of gun violence in the country with at least 246 fatal shootings till June this year. The US is promoted to be the premier destination for higher education for Indians, but in rising instances, is unable to provide basic safety from senseless gun violence.

The May 24 massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 children and two teachers, was the bloodiest mass shooting in the United States this year, which occurred only 10 days after another shooting that killed 10 people at a supermarket in Buffalo