Indian American killed in US state of Georgia, family injured
Darpan News Desk IANS, 25 Jan, 2023 01:08 PM
Washington, Jan 25 (IANS) Police in the US state of Georgia are investigating the fatal shooting of a 52-year-old Indian American man in the driveway of his home last Friday.
The victim, Pinal Patel, was pronounced dead at the hospital. His wife and daughter, who were also shot in the incident, were said to be in stable condition.
The police have issued a picture of the getaway car used by the killers - three masked men - and a driver. There is no word yet on their motivation and they had apparently not taken anything from the family.
An Indian American was fatally shot last week in Chicago in another incident. There is not link between the two and there is no evidence yet that Indian Americans are being targeted.
Responding to a call about a shooting, officers of the Bibb County found Patel, his wife, and their child wounded in the driveway.
The police said Patel and his family had just returned home from work when they were "confronted by three masked individuals with guns. Mr. Patel confronted the three and while doing so, shots were fired at the family. The three masked individuals then ran to a dark in color vehicle waiting across the street occupied by a fourth person. The individuals then fled the scene. No items were reported to have been taken from the family".
The United Nations refugee agency said on Thursday that the situation was quickly deteriorating after Russia's invasion. It appealed to neighbouring countries to keep their borders open to people seeking a safe haven.
There are an estimated 25,000 Indian students in Ukraine alone who are pursuing medicine, engineering, and science courses. More than 2,500 students from Tamil Nadu are estimated to be studying in Ukraine.
The Foreign Secretary stated that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has spoken to his Polish, Romanian, Hungarian, and Slovakian counterparts for setting up a camp at border areas for evacuation of stranded Indian nationals. He also stated that flight options are available through Dubai and Istanbul and that the Indian Embassy continues to be operational in Ukraine.
The Ministry of External Affairs in touch with all the neighbouring countries surrounding Ukraine to even evacuate Indian citizens. Many citizens who were to fly back to India were left at the airport after closure of Ukrainian airspace following Russia's Vladimir Putin announcement of a military operation in Ukraine.
Amidst the prevailing tension, the Indian students stranded in Ukraine are left with no choice but to queue up outside the Indian Embassy in Kiev seeking the authorities' help as they ran out of food and money. The Russian military actions in Ukraine have triggered panic among all sections, including students from India.
Clashes have also been taking place around the capital Kiev in the north and the Black Sea port cities of Odesa and Mariupol in the south, the report said. Air strikes from Russia have been carried out on Ukrainian military bases and airports, with fierce fighting reported around a key airport near Kiev.
