On February 22, 2017, 32-year-old software engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla who worked with Garmin was shot to death in a bar in Olathe, Kansas by 51-year-old United States Navy Veteran Adam Purinton. The unfortunate death of Kuchibhotla happened because of Purinton’s own insecurities’ when he told the man he killed to “get out of my country." Purinton has been arrested for the heinous crime he committed. The question on the minds of Indians is why Kuchibhotla’s death has been overlooked--mainly by President Trump who has not paid any attention to the murder of the Indian engineer despite claiming to love Indians.
Trump ignoring Kuchibhotla’s death is something that upsets Indians because it is a sign that the issues affecting our community do not matter. There are still hate crimes against Indians and that deserves media attention. It should not be ignored or overlooked because doing so only allows the problem to unfortunately grow. Hate crimes will only decrease if the issue is given attention and not ignored. It has to be addressed publicly so everyone knows about the attack on our community. Someone losing their life is bad enough, but not addressing the murder does not help at all in resolving such a horrible issue. People will not know about the unfortunate atrocities that are carried out against others because of misconceptions about race and religion. When a person loses their life especially because of hate and racial prejudice it should be mentioned. There is nothing funny about someone dying especially when it occurs because of someone's racism and ignorance.
Kuchibhotla’s death is no laughing matter because it is one more example of the dangers of racial profiling. His death is not the first nor will it, unfortunately, be the last of someone killed because of their attacker's ignorance. We have to break away from the stereotypes perpetuated about different races and religions and see people for who they really are. If people continue to lose their lives because of hate crimes, we are not improving but relapsing as a society. Trump should, therefore, address Kuchibhotla’s death and what he thinks should be done in order to prevent incidents like this from occurring again in the future.
Ignoring an ongoing problem is not a solution. Someone addressing it and deciding to be proactive about it is a step in the right direction. The problem will at least then be spoken about.
Do not make assumptions about people you don’t know because they happen to look a certain way. Since Trump decided to say nothing about Kuchibhotla's demise it brings up the question about whether he does care for "Hindus" as he so claims. An Indian man dying at the hands of an American Navy Veteran because of his ignorance is horrible to think about. But until something is done about Kuchibhotla's death, a difference will not be made.
