In yet another disturbing incident involving Indian nationals in the United States, 28-year-old Chandrashekar Pole, a student from Hyderabad, was shot dead by an unidentified assailant while working at a gas station in Dallas, Texas, on Friday night. The attack comes barely a month after another Indian-origin man, Chandra Mouli “Bob” Nagamallaiah, was brutally beheaded in the same city.

Chandrashekar had moved to the U.S. in 2023 to pursue higher education after completing his bachelor’s degree in dental surgery in India. He had recently completed his master’s degree and was working part-time at the gas station while seeking full-time employment. The senseless killing has left his family in deep shock, as they now struggle to come to terms with the loss of their young son who had gone abroad to build a future.

The bereaved family has appealed to the Indian government to help repatriate Chandrashekar’s body. Former Telangana minister and BRS MLA T Harish Rao, along with MLA Sudhir Reddy, visited the student’s home in Hyderabad on Saturday to offer condolences and support.

“The pain the parents are enduring is unimaginable. Their son had dreams, ambitions, and a bright future ahead. It is heart-wrenching to witness their grief,” Rao wrote in a social media post. He urged the state government to act swiftly in facilitating the return of Chandrashekar’s remains to his hometown for last rites.

This tragic shooting follows another horrifying incident in Dallas just weeks earlier. In September, Chandra Mouli Nagamallaiah, a 50-year-old motel manager originally from India, was beheaded in front of his wife and son by a co-worker, Yordanis Cobos-Martinez. The attack reportedly stemmed from a dispute over a broken washing machine. According to Dallas police, Nagamallaiah had asked a colleague to translate instructions for Cobos-Martinez, which allegedly enraged the suspect.

Surveillance footage captured the suspect retrieving a machete before launching a deadly assault. Cobos-Martinez, who has a criminal history, was arrested and charged with capital murder.

These back-to-back incidents have sparked concern within the Indian-American community and raised urgent questions about the safety of Indian students and workers in the U.S.