Shraddhanjali…

It is with immense grief and sadness that we announce the untimely deaths of two of our friends and colleagues; Kiran Kumar Allam and Chandrasekhar Reddy Komma.

We are outraged by the blatant violence that has brought an end to such precious lives and condemn it. As expatriates, we know how friends become family in this land away from home. And it is this family that we turn to in our hour of need.

We would take this opportunity to thank the community, faculty and students who attended the memorial service and acted as a show of strength for the families of Chandrashekhar and Kiran. Many offers of help were made and we hope we will be able to assist the families both financially and emotionally.

As part of our small but significant Indian community here in the USA, we ask you to extend your heartfelt support to the bereaved families of these two young men in these trying times. As a first step, LSU has established a support fund for the families of the victims. We urge you to donate generously. Those wishing to donate to the "Komma & Allam Support Fund" can do so online by visiting https://www.lsufoundation.org and scrolling down For the Benefit of:" select "Komma and Allam Support Fund." or send checks, made payable to LSU Foundation, to 3838 West Lakeshore Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808.

We would appreciate it if this information could be communicated across the country and that the Indian community in the US would stand as a united front with the families.

If you wish to support the families by way of donating services, please let us know. Our contact information is listed on the website. Or you can email us at isa@lsu.edu.