HYDERABAD: The shooting of two Indians in a crowded suburban Kansas City bar has sent shock waves through their hometowns, and India's government is rushing diplomats to monitor progress in investigation into the crime.

Jaganmohan Reddy, father of Alok Madasani, an engineer who was injured in the shooting Wednesday night, said that he thought it was a hate crime. He said such incidents have increased after the recent political changes in the United States.

The second victim, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, also an engineer, was fatally shot in the attack. He hailed from Hyderabad, the capital of southern Telangana state, said India's External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup.

He said that two Indian consulate officials from Houston and Dallas were sent to Kansas City to meet with Madasani and facilitate in bringing the body of Kuchibhotla to India.

The suspect, Adam Purinton, has been taken into custody and charged on Thursday with murder and attempted murder.

Ian Grillot, a 24-year-old American who jumped to the defense of the Indians in the bar, was hailed as a hero by the local media. He also was injured in the incident.

"Decency and humanity always triumph in the end, but not without struggle and sacrifice," said Jayaprakash Narayan, a Hyderabad-based activist, who lauded Grillot's bravery.

The US Embassy in New Delhi strongly condemned the shooting in Olathe, Kansas.

"The United States is a nation of immigrants and welcomes people from across the world to visit, work, study, and live. US authorities will investigate thoroughly and prosecute the case, though we recognize that justice is small consolation to families in grief," Charge d'Affaires MaryKay Carlson said.

Reddy said he learned about the shooting from his eldest son, who lives in Dallas. His younger son moved to the U.S. in 2008 for his master's degree. "But he never faced any problems," he told reporters in Warangal, a town in southern Indian state of Telangana.

In 2016, a Sikh professor was allegedly attacked by a group of men who called him "Osama" and "terrorist." He was apparently mistaken for a Muslim. A Hindu and a Sikh shrines were vandalized in California and Wisconsin in 2013 with the word "terrorist'" scrawled on their walls in apparent hate crimes.