US assures 'speedy justice' in Sikh man shooting case as FBI joins probe

Washington: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has begun probe into the shooting of a Sikh man in an apparent hate-related crime in Kent, Washington, after the Trump administration promised speedy justice.

Deep Rai, a US national of Indian origin, was shot outside his home on Friday. His assistants were wearing masks and shouted "go back to your own country".

"The FBI is assisting the Kent Police Department through a joint investigation of the shooting incident."

"The FBI remains committed to investigating crimes that are potentially hate-motivated and we continue to work with all our community partners in the Seattle area," FBI Seattle Spokesperson Ayn Dietrich said.

The investigating agency is also probing the shooting in Kansas last week in which 32-year-old Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla was killed.

His attacker was a 51-year-old US Navy veteran, identified as Adam Purinton, who opened fire at him and his friend Alok Madasani, at a bar yelling "get out of my country".

In another incident, 43-year-old Harnish Patel, the owner of a convenience store in Lancaster County, South Carolina, was found dead of gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home on Thursday.

In the case of Patel, the County Sheriff had pointed out that this may not be a hate crime.

Meanwhile, the US has assured India of "speedy justice" to the Indian-American victims of alleged hate-related crimes.

India's Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna reached out to the State Department to convey his "deep concerns" to the US government on the recent tragic incidents involving Harnish Patel and Deep Rai.

"State Department, on behalf of US government, expressed condolences and assured they are working with all agencies concerned to ensure speedy justice," the Indian embassy in the US said in a series of tweets.

Meanwhile, Indian-American Congressman Ami Bera has condemned the shooting of Rai, saying crimes motivated by hate are on the rise.

"This disturbing crime is an outrage that goes against everything we stand for as a nation of immigrants," Bera said.

"On the heels of the Kansas shooting, crimes motivated by hate are on the rise," she said.

"Xenophobia and racism have no place in America, and we as a nation need to stand up to these hate crimes -- starting with the President (Donald Trump).

“Thankfully, the victim is recovering and my thoughts and prayers are with him and his family," said Bera, the three-term Indian American Congressman from California.

The Sikh Coalition praised Kent Police for swiftly moving to investigate the incident as a hate crime.

"We applaud the decision by the Kent Police Department to pursue a hate crime investigation," said Sikh Coalition interim programme manager, Rajdeep Singh.

The Coalition also urged the Trump administration to take concrete actions to prevent the recurrence of such crimes.

"Immigrants and religious minorities are being attacked around the nation, but the Trump administration has not even created a task force to address this issue...," Rajdeep said, adding, "The White House needs to show leadership in preventing hate violence."

With PTI inputs