In yet another attack on India and Indians in the US, a 34-year-old trained classical dancer from India was shot dead in St Louis Missouri. Kuchipudi and Bharatnatyam dancer Amarnath Ghosh, who migrated to the US last year to follow his passion and to follow his dancing dreams was shot several times near the border of th St Louis Academy and Central West Neighborhoods. He died on the spot.
The news was shared by his friend and small screen TV actress Devoleena Bhattacharjee on X and contacted PM Narendra Modi and the External Affairs Minister of India Subramaniam Jaishankar for assistance and investigating the identity of the killer and their motives.
Ghosh was raised in Kolkata, where he learnt Shantiniketan Style of Rabindra Nritya and Rabindra Sangeet. He lost his father during childhood and his mother passed away when he was three yeas old.
Amarnath Ghosh had done his diploma in Bharatnatyam from the Kalakshetra College of Fine Arts in Chennai and he was also the recipient of Nritya Kanak Mani Saman awards from the International Dance and Music festival, New Delhi. Additionally, he was also a recipient of the National Scholarship for Kuchipudi from the International Cultural Ministry, Delhi.
According to St Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the shooting happened at 7:15 PM on February 27, 2024 at Delmar Boulevard and Clarendon Avenue, a news media agency reported on March 1, 2024. Ghosh was pursuing his masters in Performing Arts Department of the Washington University. The killing of Ghosh as prompted Indian Consulate in Chicago to take up the issues with local police and the university.
Asserting that the mission is extending help to the relatives of the deceased Amarnath Ghosh, the Indian Consulate in Chicago posted on X that it has “taken up the case strongly with St Louis police and the University for investigation for the reprehensible gun attack.
Offering deep condolences to family and friends of the deceased in St Louis in Missouri, it said “We are following up forensic, investigation with police and providing support. Since the beginning of 2024 there have been at least half a dozen deaths of Indian and Indian origin students in the US. The alarming rise in the number of attacks has caused serious concerns among the community.”
