Mohammed Nizamuddin, a 29-year-old from Telangana, India, has died in California after being shot by police. The incident occurred earlier this month following a reported dispute with his roommate.
Nizamuddin, who hailed from the Mahabubnagar district, had moved to the United States in 2016 for higher studies. He obtained an MS from Florida College and subsequently worked as a software professional. He was later promoted and relocated to California.
His father, Mohammed Hasanuddin, is seeking assistance from the Indian government to repatriate his son’s remains. He says he learned of the tragedy from a friend of his son. The exact details of what happened on September 3rd, and the cause of Nizamuddin’s death, are still unclear. Hasanuddin has written to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, seeking help. In the letter, he described receiving information that Nizamuddin had been shot by the Santa Clara police and that his body was at a California hospital. He is unaware of the reason for the police shooting.
According to the information available, the incident arose from a disagreement between Nizamuddin and his roommate.
Hasanuddin is urging Jaishankar to coordinate with the Indian embassy in Washington D.C. and the Indian consulate in San Francisco to arrange for the return of his son’s body to Mahabubnagar.
A relative of the deceased recounted that a fight over the air conditioning escalated into a physical altercation involving knives. This led to neighbors calling the police.
The relative reported that when the police arrived, they ordered both men to raise their hands. One complied, but the other did not. The police then fired four shots, and Nizamuddin was killed. The relative expressed concern about the apparent lack of a thorough investigation before the shooting.
The family is also seeking help from the Telangana government to bring the body back to Mahabubnagar. They have yet to receive full details about the event.
Amjadullah Khan, a spokesperson for the Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT), has also taken to social media to support the family, sharing the letter from Hasanuddin to Jaishankar and calling for assistance.