Indian engineer shot dead by US police, family cries foul

New Delhi: In a shocking case reported from California, US, a 30-year old Indian man was shot dead by the police. The victim was an engineer by training and was working at a tech firm in Santa Clara. He has been identified as Mohammed Nizamuddin, who hailed from Telangana's Mahabubnagar. His family has alleged racial discrimination and demanded a probe into the circumstances which led to his death. 

According to the account of the Santa Clara Police department, they received a distress call from a house in Santa Clara. When they reached the spot, they found Nizamuddin with a knife. He had also pinned down his roommate, who was grievously injured, they added. The incident happened on September 3.

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The police said that they were responding to a 911 call from the house. An altercation between Nizamuddin and his roommate, reportedly escalated and led to the attack.

A statement from the Santa Clara Police Department said, "SCPD officers arrived, encountered the suspect, and were involved in an Officer Involved Shooting. The suspect was transported to a local hospital where they were later pronounced deceased. The victim was transported to a local hospital and is being treated for their injuries."

The police said that the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office and the Santa Clara Police Department are jointly conducting the investigation into the matter. The police said that investigations are on in the case and that an update about the case will be provided by Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile Nizammudin's family has alleged that he suffered racial discrimination in the US. They said that it was he who called the police, before being shot dead.

His family informed that he had pursued a Masters in Computer Science at a Florida college and was working at a tech firm in Santa Clara in California. They described him as a quiet and religious person and said that he had publicly highlighted the racial discrimination he suffered in the US. His family said that Nizammudin suffered racial harassment, wage fraud and wrongful termination from the job.

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In a LinkedIn post the deceased had reportedly written, "I have been a victim of racial hatred, racial discrimination, racial harassment, torture, wage-fraud, wrongful termination and obstruction of Justice. Enough is enough, white supremacy/racist white American mentality has to end."

The family has approached the Indian government for help. They have written to the Ministry of External Affairs on the matter and requested assistance in bringing back the body of Nizammudin. They have also requested that External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar contact the Indian Embassy in Washington DC and get a detailed report on the matter.