Hyderabad student dies in US shooting; MLA Harish Rao seeks repatriation of body
Credit: X/@BRSHarish
Hyderabad: A Telugu student who had been searching for a full-time job was shot dead by an unidentified assailant at a gas station in the United States late on Friday. The victim, 28-year-old Pole Chandrasekhar, hailed from LB Nagar in Hyderabad and had moved to the US in 2023 to pursue his master’s degree at the University of North Texas.
After recently completing his studies, Chandrasekhar was reportedly working part-time at a gas station in Denton to support himself while seeking full-time employment. On Friday, an unknown assailant opened fire at the station, killing him on the spot. His family in Hyderabad has appealed to the authorities to help bring back his mortal remains.
Chandrasekhar’s brother, Damodar told reporters on Saturday, that his brother had completed his bachelor’s degree in Hyderabad before leaving for the US two years ago. He finished his MS about six months ago and was looking for a job. To meet his expenses, he had taken up a part-time job at the gas station.
Expressing grief over the incident, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy extended his condolences to the bereaved family and assured all possible assistance. “The death of Chandrasekhar Pole, a student from LB Nagar, in a shooting incident in the United States has caused deep shock and sorrow. I pray to God for his soul to rest in peace and extend my heartfelt condolences to his family members. The government will stand by Chandrasekhar’s family and provide all possible assistance to bring his mortal remains back to his hometown,” Revanth Reddy said in a social media post.
BRS MLA and former minister T Harish Rao, who visited Chandrasekhar’s family in Hyderabad on Saturday, also expressed his condolences. “It is tragic that Chandrasekhar Pole, a Dalit student from LB Nagar who had completed his BDS and gone to Dallas, USA for higher studies, was shot dead by assailants early this morning. Seeing the grief of his parents, who had high hopes for their son’s bright future, is truly heartbreaking. On behalf of the BRS party, we demand that the State Government take immediate steps to ensure Chandrasekhar’s mortal remains are brought back home at the earliest,” he said.
According to Chandrasekhar’s LinkedIn profile, he was working as a Senior Data Analyst at GEICO on a part-time basis since August 2024. Previously, he had been employed as a Data Analyst with American Express in Chennai (2021–2023) and as a Programmer Analyst with Hitachi Energy in Bengaluru (2020–2021).
This incident is the latest in a string of tragic deaths involving students from Telangana in the United States. In January, a 26-year-old student from the state was shot dead in Connecticut, while another man from Ranga Reddy district was found with bullet wounds. In September, a 30-year-old man from Mahabubnagar district was killed in California after reportedly being shot by police following a scuffle with his roommate.