Photo: IANS
A 41-year-old Indian-origin technology executive has died in the United States, days after being assaulted outside a restaurant in Washington, according to media reports.
Vivek Taneja, president and co-founder of Dynamo Technologies, was assaulted by a man outside Shoto Restaurant on February 2 and succumbed to his injuries on Thursday, news channel WUSA9 reported.
After assaulting Taneja, the suspect slammed him to the ground and smashed his head on the pavement.
According to a police incident report, Taneja intervened to protect a female companion who was being harassed by the suspect.
Police found a man with life-threatening injuries on the pavement around 2 a.m. and transported him to the hospital.
An eyewitness who knows Taneja told a news channel that a fight broke out inside the restaurant, after which both of them were kicked out.
Asking for public assistance, police on Friday released surveillance video of the suspect walking in the courtyard outside the bar. They are offering a reward of up to $25,000 for any information leading to his arrest.
Taneja, a graduate of the University of Virginia, was loved by neighbors who left flowers on her doorstep Friday afternoon, the news channel reported.
The latest incident comes amid a spate of attacks on Indian students in the United States, with five of them reported to have died so far this year.
Earlier this week, Syed Mazahir Ali, an Indian student from Hyderabad, was robbed in Chicago, leaving him bleeding from his nose and mouth.
U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti expressed regret over the attack on Indian students and assured local media that the United States is a “great, safe place” for Indians to study. -IANS
