US-based Indian researchers shocked, discomfited at UCLA shooting

Shocked at the shooting incident in the prestigious University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA), some Indian researchers in the US have said they were "discomfited" to learn Indian doctoral student Mainak Sarkar was identified as the killer of a professor and his own wife.

Researcher Sohini Ray who was in "lockdown" for around two hours along with her lab mates in a UCLA building said taking someone's life was not justifiable.

"It's a very sad affair. We do not know what transpired internally but taking someone's life is not justifiable and whether the person had tried to solve the problem through another method before taking the drastic step is not clear. Not just as a Bengali but as an Indian, I feel sad," Ray told a local TV channel.

According to Sriparna Gangopadhyay, a scientist at the University of California, the report sent shock waves through the academic community.

"It was shocking to learn that something of that sort had happened in an educational institution. I felt a bit discomfited to learn he was an Indian," Gangopadhyay said.

Sarkar, 38, an IIT - Kharagpur graduate, fatally shot engineering professor William Klug, 39, in his office at the UCLA campus on Wednesday. Klug had refused to give him a passing grade.

Before killing Klug, Sarkar killed his wife Ashley Hasti, who was found dead in Brooklyn Park, in Minnesota.

--IANS

sgh/vt