Shock and anger in India after fatal shooting at Kansas bar

The White House has said it would be "absurd" to link the shooting of two Indian men in Kansas to Donald Trump's rhetoric on immigration.

Srinivas Kuchibhotla, aged 32, died following the shooting in a crowded Kansas City bar, while Alok Madasani, also 32, was injured. Ian Grillot, a 24-year-old American who jumped to the defence of the two men, was also shot.

Witnesses told police the shooter shouted "get out of my country" before opening fire in Olathe.

Officers have charged 51-year-old Adam Purinton with murder and attempted murder following the incident on Wednesday.

Adam Purinton has been charged with murder and attempted murder. Credit: Henry County Sheriff's Office

The shooting has sparked outrage in India and diplomats have been sent to the United States to monitor the investigation.

Jaganmohan Reddy, father of Mr Madasani, said he thought it was a hate crime and claimed such incidents have increased after the recent political changes in the United States.

Relatives of Mr Kuchibhotla, an engineer, gathered at his home in Hyderabad to mourn his death. One of them, Venu Madhav, said it appeared a mindset was being cultivated "to hate Asians and Middle East people".

Left to right: Srinivas Kuchibhotla, Alok Madasani and Sunayana Dumala. Credit: Handout via AP

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said any attempt to connect the president's rhetoric on immigrants to the tragedy in Kansas "would be absurd."

Sunayana Dumala, Mr Kuchibhotla's widow, said they had wondered how safe it was to remain the US, but he had assured her "only good things happen to good people".

Describing her husband as "a very lovable soul", she said: "His parents, my parents, our entire family back home, is in grief."

Speaking from his hospital bed, Mr Grillot told how he tried to subdue the shooter when he thought he had run out of bullets, only to be shot in the chest and hand.

He said he was "grateful to be alive" and that he was "just doing what anyone should have done for another human being".

The US embassy in New Delhi has strongly condemned the shooting, saying: "The United States is a nation of immigrants and welcomes people from across the world to visit, work, study, and live.

"US authorities will investigate thoroughly and prosecute the case, though we recognise that justice is small consolation to families in grief."