Telangana district judge’s daughter among 8 killed in Texas mall shooting

A cousin in Saroornagar said that Aishwarya was doing well in her career and had recently received a promotion. According to her family, she last spoke with her mother Aruna on the fateful evening and informed her that she was going to the mall with a male friend. Later, when the mother called back after learning about the shooting in Dallas, she could not get any response and the phone was later switched off.

Another family member, N Ram Reddy, whose daughter lives in the US, inquired with the local district authorities and hospitals the next morning to confirm Aishwarya’s death. “We don’t know what happened and we don’t want to talk about anything. The family is in touch with Telugu NRI associations in the US and government authorities to bring back her body,” the family member said, adding that the parents were in a state of shock.

The family is expecting her body to reach home by Wednesday.

“The parents are shattered. We have not been able to inform her mother about the tragedy. It will take months for her to come to terms with this shocking news,” said a relative of Aishwarya, even as government officials, judges and friends visited her home to console the parents.

Prashant Kumar, Aishwarya’s professor at MVSR Engineering College in Hyderabad, has only one word to describe her – dynamic. She was not just one among the toppers in the batch who represented the college in throw ball, but stood out in her presentations as well as in organising cultural events, Kumar said.

“She was in civil engineering and even after going to the US, she was very particular that she worked in the core area like construction management and was not tempted to go after non-core areas such as software where people get better salaries. She wanted to establish herself as an entrepreneur and contribute to the construction sector,” Kumar said.

According to Raja Mahender, a super senior in college, Aishwarya took inspiration from her elder brother Srikanth who graduated in civil engineering from the same college. “Civil is usually considered a male-dominated area. She took it up as a big challenge to succeed. She was full of energy, worked very hard and wanted to excel,” Mahender said. During his last conversation with Aishwarya in September last, she wanted to reach out to other seniors from the college who have settled down in the US and spoke about opportunities there.

Kumar, who also taught Aishwarya’s brother, said she kept in touch with the college department even after moving to the US. “On 18 May, she would have turned a year older. We speak on that day every year as she and my wife, who was also her teacher, shared a birthday. Even otherwise, she would WhatsApp me frequently. My legs are still shaking due to this shocking news,” said Kumar.

Even while trying to secure a bright future for herself in the US, Aishwarya kept in touch with juniors and guided those who wanted to explore opportunities in the US. “She was always smiling and enthusiastic about everything. I have never seen her sad. We can’t believe this happened to her,” Kumar added.”

The Civil Engineering Students’ Association at the college and the alumni are now planning to organise a candlelight march in the coming days to condemn the prevailing gun culture in the US.

Aishwarya last visited home in December to attend her elder brother Srikanth Reddy’s marriage.

The shooting was the latest eruption of an unprecedented pace of mass killings in the US. Dashcam video circulating online showed a gunman getting out of a car and shooting at people on the footpath. He was shot dead by a police officer who happened to be nearby, authorities said.