NRI Pulse Newspaper Staff
Atlanta, GA, January 30, 2018: Sunayana Dumala, widow of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, the Kansas based techie who was tragically killed in a hate crime shooting last year, has been invited to President Trump’s first State of the Union address.
US Rep. Kevin Yoder, who represents the 3rd District of Kansas recently confirmed the news through a tweet.
“Each year, I have the privilege of inviting one guest to attend the President’s State of the Union Address. This year, I have invited Sunayana Dumala, widow of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, the Indian immigrant who was tragically killed in the hate crime shooting last year at in Olathe,” said the tweet.
Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed and his friend Alok Madasani was injured when Adam W. Purinton, a white man who earlier served in the US Navy, shot them at the Austins Bar & Grill in Olathe on February 22 of last year.
Purinton reportedly got into a row with the victims and hurled racial slurs. He yelled “Get out of my country” and “terrorist” before shooting them. An American, Ian Grillot, was injured in the attack.
Dumala has launched Forever Welcome, a social media initiative on Facebook to spread a message of unity, love and acceptance and to ensure that the U.S. is a safe place for current and future immigrants.
A post on the Forever Welcome Facebook page also confirmed Dumala’s attendance at the State of the Union address.
“Sunayana Dumala will attend the 2018 State of the Union address to Congress in Washington, DC, invited by Rep. Congressman Kevin Yoder (R-KS) as his sole guest. We appreciate the work Rep. Yoder has done to advance Sunayana’s mission of ensuring immigrants feel welcome and accepted,” said the post.
