A video emerged of a wealthy Sri Lankan American entrepreneur being fatally shot by a police officer in Austin while he was defending his house from a suspected burglar.
As Rajan Moonesinghe lay dying, he can be heard saying: “It wasn't me.”
The killing, described by Austin Mayor Steve Adler as a “tragedy”, took place when the co-founder of the fintech firm InKind was on the front porch of his house.
A private security guard of his neighbour across the road called the police to report Moonesinghe who was wielding a gun.
The guard told a dispatcher: “He almost seems to be scared of something inside his house.”
“He's pointing the rifle at the interior of his home,” the guard said over the phone. This was followed by Moonesinghe calling into his living room and firing shots inside.
Daniel Sanchez, one of the two police officers who arrived at the scene within minutes shouted: 'Drop the gun.'
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But the officer shot Moonesinghe before completing the sentence.
He was taken to a hospital where succumbed to his injuries and a preliminary autopsy report revealed the victim was hit four times. No one else was hurt in the incident.
Moonesinghe had moved to the South Austin neighbourhood about five years ago. InKind, which he set up with his brother Johann, provides upfront financing to restaurants.
Jon Blum, a former police officer, told the Wall Street Journal that the bullet had hit Moonesinghe “before he heard anything because bullets travel faster than sound.”
Sanchez has been on administrative leave since the incident and the attorneys of Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas representing him said the licenced police officer “followed his training in order to protect lives.”
Doug Ludlow, the CEO of small business-assistance company MainStreet told the WSJ: “There is massive competition to create new startup hubs. If it's not a safe community, especially for people of colour, you will not create a tech hub here. Full stop.”
Johann said his family would do “whatever it takes” to get their voice heard.
“When Raj was buried, I made a promise to him. I said, "Raj, I will be an unstoppable force of justice for you. And I will make sure this doesn't happen to another family,"' he said.
A VERITABLE Indian who’s who, led by Mukesh Ambani’s wife and daughter, Nita Ambani and Isha Ambani, turned the British Museum’s inaugural Pink Ball last Saturday (18) into a magical night to remember.
The ball, which is intended to be a match for the more established Metropolitan Museum of Art’s gala in New York, has been inspired by the British Museum’s exhibition, Ancient India: living traditions, examining the links between Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism.
The exhibition, which opened on May 22 and concluded on October 19, was put together with the help of the Jain, Hindu and Buddhist communities in the UK.
The exhibition’s curator, Dr Sushma Jansari, said the British Museum has strengthened its links both with India and with the British Indian community.
“I really hope in the future it draws more people from the subcontinent and also our diaspora community here in the UK to connect with the museum, to see what other things we can do to collaborate - whether it’s events, projects, more exhibitions,” she told Eastern Eye.
Jansari, who is from Leicester and is the first person of Asian origin to hold the post of curator South Asia in the department of Asia at the British Museum, added: “I hope this highlights the museum as a place where we can do things together.”
Adar Poonawalla and Karishma Choraria
Describing the atmosphere of the ball as “amazing”, Jansari said: “It was fun, it was positive, really exciting. I am not aware of any such balls in the museum’s history. It was visually stunning. My favourite, the hot pink (of the fabrics) in the exhibition, inspired the theme of the ball. The exhibition was open the whole evening during the ball, and guests were encouraged to go and visit, which lots did. It was lovely chatting to so many people. They were really positive about it. I was really blown away. Those who hadn’t previously had a connection with the museum were really surprised at what kind of thing the museum can put on. The key idea here is that we all live together, both in the ancient past and today. All of these different faiths are part of our shared cultural heritage here in the UK today.”
Jansari gave a personal tour of her exhibition to Nita Ambani, whose husband heads Reliance Industries in India and is said to be the country’s richest man with a fortune estimated by Forbes to be worth $101.9bn. She looks after the family’s charitable foundations.
“She enjoyed walking through the show,” said Jansari.
Meanwhile, Isha Ambani, 33, chair of the ball and “the driving force behind the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre” in Mumbai, said: “This evening is a celebration of age-old creativity. In India, pink is the colour of warmth, welcome and joy. It evokes a spirit of openness and grace integral to our culture. My hope is that our evening will be a reflection of these values, bringing global communities closer, fostering deep mutual respect and understanding.”
She also had a message in the guide booklet given to all 800 guests: “It’s incredible to see the work being done by the British Museum in preserving and sharing the cultures of the world. With the museum’s inaugural Pink Ball, inspiration has come from the colours, light, and vibrancy of India, whose traditions, artistry, and cultural legacy continue to inspire the world. In today’s times, gatherings like this are more than celebrations – they are opportunities to foster cultural dialogue, build understanding, and create connections.”
The museum’s director, Dr Nicholas Cullinan, commented: “The British Museum Ball was intended to celebrate London – a city renowned for its arts, culture, creativity and style. Tonight’s event did just that by bringing together the actors, artists, collectors, creatives, designers and writers that make our city a cultural powerhouse. In doing so, we continued in the footsteps of the many cultural icons who have come to the British Museum over the past 275 years, from Mozart to Karl Marx, Oscar Wilde to Virginia Woolf.”
Jansari was especially pleased to meet Rishi Sunak, the former prime minister who had been the star speaker at the NDTV World Summit in Delhi at 6 pm only the previous day.
“I really wanted to say hello because as the first ever Indian origin prime minister, it was quite a big deal (meeting him),” she said.
Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty, wore “a bold striped gown that blended modern glam with a traditional twist, while the maang tikka added an unexpected dash of desi sparkle”.
In a post on Instagram, Murty, a trustee at the V&A, commended the British Museum: “It was an extraordinary celebration of culture that highlighted how vital museums are as guardians of our past, as well as champions of discovery. For both of us, as supporters of the arts and heritage, it was a reminder of why great institutions matter: each artefact, each story, each gallery opens doors to new possibilities. Here’s to museums around the world leading us forward.”
Fashion experts noted that “Nita and Isha Ambani’s ensembles were a testament to heritage woven into cloth. Nita dazzled in a handwoven beige-pink sari by Manish Malhotra, its zari and crystal-shard embroidery complemented by heirloom diamond and emerald jewellery. Isha wore a custom Abu Jani/ Sandeep Khosla blush pink satin sari, styled by Anaita Shroff Adajania, and hand-embroidered in pink zardosi, pearls, and crystals by over 35 artisans. Completed with jewellery from her mother’s collection, her look was a beautiful ode to Indian craftsmanship. She paired her outfit with massive emerald jewels from Nita Ambani’s collection.”
Among other guests, Anoushka Shankar – she was spotted with the broadcast journalist and TV presenter Anita Rani – played a sitar recital before the speeches. And after dinner, guests danced to songs from the rapper M.I.A.
Natasha Poonawalla, a regular at the Met Gala where she affects “look at me” outfits, was dressed more demurely for London. She came with her husband, Adar Poonawalla, CEO of the Serum Institute of India, the world’s biggest vaccine manufacturers.
The photographers had a busy time taking pictures of the likes of Aarti Lohia, an art collector whose husband, Amit Lohia, and father-in-law, Sri Prakash Lohia, run the Indorama Corporation.
Esha Arora came with husband Robin Arora, who ran B&M Stores with his older brothers, Simon and Bobby.
There was the fashion designer Saloni Lodhi, whose clothes have been worn by Michelle Obama, the Princess of Wales (during a trip to India in 2016) and Carey Mulligan.
The model Saffron Vadher, who has worked for Vogue India and such brands as Estée Lauder and Burberry, was a guest, as was Orhan (“Orry”) Awatramani, “who is famous on social media for …well, being famous”.
The actor Ray Panthaki was also a guest, as were Rajiv Nathwani, senior director of marketing for Netflix UK, Ireland & Israel; Suneil Setiya, an Oxford University physicist who started Quadrature Climate Foundation, a charity committed to fighting the climate emergency; Londoner Karishma Ruia (nee Choraria), whose husband Rewant Ruia is a director of the Essar group in India; Devisha Kumari Singh, a “millennial socialite, tastemaker and designer” (according to Harper’s Bazaar); and, representing the wider Asian community, the Canadian-British Imran Amed, founder and editor-in-chief of the website The Business of Fashion.
The British Museum’s trustees include Southall-born Meneesha Kellay, a “curator and cultural leader working across art, architecture, design and performance” and co-curator of the award-winning British Pavilion at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale; and Priyanka Wadhawan, director of insights and innovation at Amazon.
The ball’s committee includes Imran Amed; Eiesha Bharti Pasricha; Kumar Mangalam Birla; Dr Amin Jaffer; Sonam Kapoor; Suhair Khan; Sabyasachi Mukherjee; Rajiv Nathwani; Rajeeb Samdani; and Nadia Samdani.
Dinner consisted of “spiced lamb fillet, buttermilk masala, slow cooked dhal, pilau & dressed okra”; dessert was “Dulcey Crème Légère, passion fruit cremeux & chocolate Saint Honoré”; accompanied by “Minuty Blanc et Or (Vintage 2024) and Château Minuty Rouge et Or (Vintage 2023)”.
The dinner tables were distributed through such galleries as Enlightenment, Egyptian, Nereid and Nuveen.
Jansari said: “Do you know what was so nice? It was all served in a hand-painted tiffin.”
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