The Indians living in the United States of Donald Trump are living in fear. In the seven weeks of the notorious Trump presidency, several accounts of violence have been cited against those who do not identify as an American (white). Owing to a string of attacks charged by racism, the Indian-American community is shaken, scared, and is trying to acquaint itself with the rising threat to their lives.
There have been three major attacks in the past few weeks, first in Kansas, then in Washington State, and the third in Lancaster. Living with an overriding and prominent terror, a feeling while not unfamiliar is certainly painful to one of the richest immigrant groups in the US.
On March 4, a 39-year-old Sikh from Kent, Washington, Deep Rai was shot in the arm by a six-foot-tall white man. The Sikh community is familiar to racism since 9/11, when revenge attacks against them were initiated on petty misconceptions.
“We are all kind of at a loss in terms of what’s going on right now, this is just bringing it home. The climate of hate that has been created doesn’t distinguish between anyone,” said Jasmit Singh, a community leader. “It is scary,” Satwinder Kaur, another Sikh community leader in Washington said. “The community has been shaken up.”
Another Indian-American, Harnish Patel, who has been living in the US for the past 14 years, was shot dead right outside his home in Lancaster. Investigators are still looking into the potential motives for the attack, and the possibility of racial motivation has not been ruled out.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has launched an investigation into the attacks to determine whether they are hate crimes. Whatever may be the outcome, these acts of aggression have indefinitely deepened fear among southeast Asian and immigrant communities. Donald Trump’s aggressive rhetoric is proving to be fatal to many US citizens.
The recent series of attacks began in Olathe, Kansas, where two IT professionals were shot in a bar, one fatally. Last month, a shooter reportedly yelled “get out of my country” before he pushed bullets into Srinivas Kuchibhotla and his friend Alok Madasani. While the former died in the hospital, Madasani was injured and released later.
Speaking at a vigil remembering his friend, four days later, Madasani said, “I wish it was a dream. What happened that night was a senseless crime and that took away my best friend.” It isn’t just the immigrants’ origin that is provoking aggression, there is a shared feeling among “pure” Americans that their jobs are being stolen.
A video from August 2016, shot by anti-immigrant website SaveAmericanITJobs.org, has caused severe anxiety. Its YouTube description reads, “Our walk in the park provides evidence as to who has the Jobs in this area, and they are not the citizens of Ohio. It is proof on the ground how guest workers are not only taking over jobs, but also taking away the real estate and parks. The USA Ohio IT Workers have disappeared into oblivion.”
While the video did not seem as harmful back then, in retrospect, it can be held as proof to the worsening racial hostility. “Suddenly, you’re thinking and being concerned about things you never thought of before. I don’t want to believe that the country has suddenly changed,” said Senthil Bagavathy, an information technology consultant.
National organisation South Asian Americans Leading Together responded to the attack against Rai, saying it was “no surprise given the anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim vitriol escalating across the country, most notably illustrated in President Trump’s divisive recent executive orders”.
Suman Raghunathan, executive director of the organisation, said, “When our ‘so-called’ leaders attempt to govern from an angle of xenophobia, these sentiments embolden deadly violence against our communities.”
However, the White House has rejected any link between Trump’s foreign policy and the attacks. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said, “Obviously, any loss of life is tragic, but I’m not going to get into, like, to suggest that there’s any correlation I think is a bit absurd. So I’m not going to go any further than that.”
Racist tirade against Indians in New Zealand
Meanwhile, the New Zealand government has condemned reports of an Indian-origin man being assaulted and racially abused in Auckland, and said the incident was not indicative of the country’s attitude towards foreigners.
“We don’t condone race-based abuse in any form,” said Suzannah Jessep, Acting New Zealand High Commissioner, about the incident. “The comments reported do not reflect the views of the vast majority of New Zealanders,” Jessep added.
Narindervir Singh was sworn at, abused and told to go back to his own country by an unidentified man after a minor altercation on the road last week. Singh did not engage with the man but began recording his racist rant and streamed the video on social media.
“It really shocked me and after he (left), I was really shaken... The first thing in my mind was that he might hurt me with some weapon,” Singh said about his attacker.
India invites Ian Grillot
Ian Grillot, who bravely confronted the Kansas shooter and took two bullets and potentially saved a dozen people, including an Indian, became a hero in India and USA. Indians appreciated his heroism and the Americans celebrated his acceptance and intolerance of hate crime. Anupam Ray, India’s consul general in Houston, formally invited Ian to India, telling him that “bravery and kindness speaks louder for and is more representative of America than the violence.” Ian is a US Navy veteran who has always been fascinated with India since the time he was a child. He met with the Indian diplomats after he was discharged from the hospital. Even Ian himself wants to visit India! “I think I've found myself a good reason to go there now. So I'd definitely have to be making a trip sometime in the near future.”
