'Saddened by racial discrimination': Indian-American doctors outraged at George Floyd's death in US

African-American Floyd, 46, died after a white police officer kneeled on his neck as he gasped for breath till life left his body in Minneapolis on May 25.
Floyd died May 25 after being detained by police in Minneapolis. (Photo | AP)
Floyd died May 25 after being detained by police in Minneapolis. (Photo | AP)

WASHINGTON: An influential community of Indian-American doctors in the US has expressed outrage at the custodial killing of George Floyd and the "long history" of racial discrimination in America, saying that the "divisive rhetoric" seem to be getting worse each day in the country.

African-American Floyd, 46, died after a white police officer kneeled on his neck as he gasped for breath till life left his body in Minneapolis on May 25.

His death has triggered violent nationwide protests.

Police have used tear gas to disperse the crowds and hundreds of people have been arrested as protests turned violent in some cities.

The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), the largest body representing Indian-American doctors, in a statement on Monday condemned racial discrimination and violence against minority communities.

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'As American Physicians of Indian-origin, we are unanimously outraged by George Floyd's death and the long history of racial discrimination that lives in this country. We are aware that these are difficult and distressing times for everyone,' said AAPI president Suresh Reddy.

Reddy said that as physicians, they are dedicated to improving the health of everyone but they cannot fulfil this mission without directly confronting racism that is hurting the health of so many and contribute significantly to excess morbidity and death of the minority communities.

Sudhakar Jonnalgadda, AAPI president-elect, said, "we are saddened by the divisive rhetoric and racial tensions that seem to be getting worse each day.

We need to find solutions that ensure everyone in this nation receives fair and equal treatment and that police officers 'who put their lives on the line every day to protect us all 'are respected and supported.'

AAPI endorsed the statement by American Medical Association (AMA), which described the 'police violence as a striking reflection of our American legacy of racism a system that assigns value and structures opportunity while unfairly advantaging some and disadvantaging others based on their skin colour and saps the strength of the whole society through the waste of human resources.'


Sanku Rao, chair, AAPI Ethics and Grievance Committee, said that along with other leading health organisations, including American Medical Association, the Indian-American doctors denounce incidents of racism and violence that continue to ravage the communities.

Standing in solidarity with peaceful protestors across the nation condemning the horrific death of George Floyd, AAPI secretary Ravi Kolli called out systemic racism and excessive violence by the nation's police.

'We call upon police departments across the country to, meaningfully address the twin problems of systemic racism and excessive, disproportionate use of force by officers in their ranks, working with local communities to end both, and hold accountable the police officers with misconduct and excessive force,' he said.

Namratha R. Kandula, chair, AAPI's Diversity and Equity Committee, said, 'As immigrants to the US, our families may not always understand this history, but we join in solidarity with the minority communities and call for justice for George Floyd and for many others who have lost their lives to police brutality.'

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