Fearful' Indian-Americans looking to return home

Vijayawada: Mr. M. Amarnath, a techie from Vizag working in the USA, said the murder of Srinivas has shaken the Indian community and other immigrants alike.

“Though I had never been subjected to racial disparity, there’s a clear change in the air after Trump was elected as President. Due to the proposed restrictions, many Indians are planning to quit the US. Now, this murder had added to their security fears. There’s nothing from the Trump administration to assuage the feelings of the immigrants,” he said.

Sharing his pain, Mr.  B Phanichandra, an NRI and CEO of Eshaan Energy, Vijayawada, said it’s unfortunate that innocent Indians are losing their lives in the cross-fires of racial discrimination and display of pent up emotions by radical elements in the US. “There’s been a steady rise in hate crimes in the US against various groups over the past few months,” Phanichandra noted, and said that after the recent Presidential elections, more than 25 per cent of the hate crimes are against immigrants.

“The recent spate of fatal attacks on young Indians in the US is causing great grief to their families and friends in the US as well as in India. This is not just against one country —as the statistics show. People who differ in their colour, orientation, views etc are becoming easy targets,” said Mr. Kanth Jonnalagadda, NRI and managing director of Winnerve.