CRIME: Two Indian Students Killed in Louisiana

Two Indian Ph.D. students at Louisiana State University were shot dead in one of their apartments yesterday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Chandrasekhar Reddy Komma (born 1974 in Hyderabad) and Kiran Kumar Allam (born 1976 in Kurnool), were married men and funds are being raised to support their spouses.

From the AP report:

Two students were found shot to death in an apparent home invasion at a Louisiana State University apartment, and officials decided to keep the campus open Friday while police searched for three suspects.

The victims, Chandrasekhar Reddy Komma and Kiran Kumar Allam, both international Ph.D. students, were found inside an apartment at the Edward Gay complex late Thursday night after authorities received a call seeking medical attention.

Both men had been shot once in the head, said Charles Zewe, an LSU system spokesman. Three men were seen leaving the area, and police were searching for them.
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The killings were the first homicides on the campus since the early 1990s, said Kristine Calongne, another university spokesperson.

[The Complex described above is for married students. Komma was visiting Allam's apartment, where they were both killed.]

The 911 call came in at 10:37 pm on Thursday. In a press conference today, President Sean O'Keefe hinted that this may not have been a random act. From 2theadvocate.com, where you can see a video of his press conference (print story, video clip):

While a joint team of LSU and Baton Rouge police officers are still investigating the motive for the killings, O’Keefe said the men “appeared to be targeted for reasons unknown.”

“This does not appear to be a random event,” O’Keefe said.

No arrests have been made.

Asked about a reported 2006 incident in which a chemistry student threatened one of the victims, LSU Police Maj. Lawrence Rabalais said that is one thing investigators are looking into. Rabalais said he wasn’t sure which of the victims was involved.

On LSU's official news site, there's info about an Indian Student Association memorial tonight and efforts to raise funds for the victims' families.

The LSU Foundation has established the Komma & Allam Support Fund to assist the students' families. To contribute to the fund, donors should make checks payable to the LSU Foundation, 3838 West Lakeshore Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808. For more information on the fund, call 225-578-3811.

There are 330 other Indian students at LSU:

During the fall 2007 semester, LSU had a total of 1,468 international students enrolled at LSU, 332 of whom were from India. That 332 represents the largest group of international students from a single country at LSU this fall. LSU's total student enrollment for the fall semester was 28,019.

As we learn more about this story, we will post it here. PLEASE HELP US COVER THIS! Please post links, updates, comments below or e-mail saja[at]columbia.edu

If you find links, info in the Indian press, let us know, too. Also, anyone know the timeline for when Bobby Jindal takes over at the Louisiana governor's mansion, which is also in Baton Rouge?

Comments

[Devendra Makkar]

My heart goes for the families of 2 young lives brutally wasted may be under racial bias. The community of Indian origin all over America must rise for the occassion and must contribute in the fund generously for their families.

Further we must unite to demand that killers must be brought to justice. We should not make the same mistake as it happened in the case of Scientist Geetha Angare who was brutally murdered at a high security water treatment plant in New Jersey. It is more than 2 years the killers are still working at that facility and Angare family including 2 college going kids are still looking for justice from the Democrats of New Jersey.

The Republican Governor Elect Bobby Jindal although he is very notorious for ignring all causes concerning People of Indian origin; must take interest to bring the killers of Chandrashekhar & Kiran to justice.

Dave Makkar
www.citizensfordemocracynj.org

[panditjugakshoreshastri]

332 is exactly the number of sitting members of national assembly in pakistan. but the 332 students enrolled in LSU have nothing to do with Pakistan. I thought you said these 332 students were from India. please think your stories through. and james cuckor is all over new jersey and louisiana. his grammar makes his comment even more incomprehensible. I hope you will find the charity in this holy season to forgive me for such brutal honesty.

[Kiran Kumar Gontuka]

This is very scary thing for every indian who came hear to pursue their dreams.Every indian has to unite and make this as a very important issue all over the nation.This is the time for every indian origin or citizen to raise their hands and come up woith one voice to threaten the black racists.
This should be the last one to happen in the future also.Please raise your hands.

[Alekya Veldhi]

There are many things happening nowadays.I can very much relate to this situation. We indians shouldn't just sit here,we have to do something about this.When Ghandhi and Martin Luther King spoke about this,as child I used to think they finally got rid of this bullshit of racism. When I herd this tragedy I didn't understand anything.Its been about a decade now and when we indians have the capacity to change the world,we relent? I take racism as a small part of my life. I don't think this is going to spot quickly.We are all humans what is the crappy problem? I don't think if Chandhrashekar or Kiran's friends died they would sit and not do anything. Look we Indians as a population in America are huge we can do anything. I am an India and I don't give a crap about racism but if such things continue to happen what will we do?????????????

[beena saval]

two indian students died in mysterious circumstances in cornell university 3-4 years ago.

[Shantu Shah]

It's very surprising USA Today and other major US newspapers have not covered seemingly unrelated tragic deaths of three (3) foreign Ph. D. students from India at two southern universities, Duke University 29-year student Abhijit Mahato's apparent robbery killing on January 18, at 11.30 PM inside his Anderson Apartment No.2 on Durham's Burke street, 1.6 miles from the campus, and two students killed at Louisiana State University on December 13, ("Crime wave sweeps Durham" - The Chronicle online January 22, 2008), as well as the April 16, 2007 massacre at Blacksburg, West Virginia, Virginia Tech campus, killing 32 pupils and professors by a crazy on-campus resident student gunman killing himself. Similar hate crimes during 2007 targeted several foreign students from India residing in Australia.

I was also a 29-year graduate student at North Carolina State University living about similar distance from the campus in an apartment 39 years ago in January 1969 when I never felt threatened from violence though arrived few years after the murders of Dr. King and President Kennedy, bobby Kennedy, and the Civil Rights movement turbulence.

The reason I am much concerned now is if this is unchecked it could create a wave of copycat killings to other campuses across USA, making it an unsafe living while attending higher learning on and around campus. It's the responsibility of on-campus security, local police, FBI and CIA to detect any connection to home grown terrorism, bring the culprits to Justice, and secure students to limit the consequential adverse impact to the advanced learning and research if the violence is unabated and unchecked.