Hyderabad student critical after being shot in Chicago
A 30-year-old student from Hyderabad is critical after being shot at by an unidentified assailant in Chicago some days ago. Mohammad Akbar is currently undergoing treatment at the Illinois Masonic Medical Center. Police aren't treating it as a hate crime. No arrests have been made yet. Meanwhile, Akbar's family has sought help from Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and the Telangana government.
Family reaches out to Sushma Swaraj
What happened?
The incident reportedly happened last Wednesday, when Akbar, a Masters student, was shot at as he was about to board his car at the parking lot in Alabny Park neighborhood. He was hit in the cheek. Passersby rushed him to a hospital. The identity of the gunman and reason for the shooting weren't known immediately. Akbar has been staying in Chicago since three years.
Akbar's family seeks Swaraj's help in securing emergency visas
Akbar's family, residents of Hyderabad's Uppal, has met Telangana Home Minister Nayini Narsimha Reddy and Sushma Swaraj to help them secure emergency visas so they can be with their son and brother. They have urged the government to take up the matter with the US.
Several attacks on Indians in the US in recent times
This is the latest in a series of attacks on Indians in the US. In February, 27-year-old Mamidala Vamsi Reddy from Telangana was shot dead in California when he went for an after-dinner walk. The case that made the most headlines was the killing of Indian software engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla; the shooter asked him to "go back" to their country and opened fire.
There were over 6,000 hate crimes in US in 2016
Muslims, often targeted by President Donald Trump, have it worse: in 2016, there were 307 hate crimes against Muslims, up from 257 in 2015 and 154 in 2014. In comparison, there were 10 attacks against Hindus and seven against Sikhs.
