Indian techie said “American mentality must end” before shooting.
He confided to friends that life in the U.S. had become unbearable. He felt cheated at work, saying he was paid unfairly and later “wrongfully terminated,” which left him devastated. His troubles deepened when he was asked to leave his company-provided accommodation. Struggling with job loss, financial stress, and displacement, he spoke of betrayal and despair, expressing that the so-called “American dream” had turned into a harsh, isolating reality.
Santa Clara/Hyderabad: The tragic death of 30-year-old Indian tech professional Mohammed Nizamuddin in California earlier this month has sent ripples of grief and anger through his family, friends, and community back home in Telangana. For those who knew him, his story is not just about a violent end, but also about the struggles of an immigrant worker navigating a foreign system that he believed had failed him.
Nizamuddin, originally from Mahabubnagar, had travelled to the United States with dreams that many Indian engineers carry — of building a successful career in Silicon Valley, the world’s tech capital. By his own account, however, the “American dream” quickly turned into a lonely and painful ordeal.
In a LinkedIn post published just days before his death, Nizamuddin described himself as a “victim of racial hatred” and said that he wanted the so-called “American mentality” to end. His words carried the weight of deep disillusionment. He wrote of being harassed and discriminated against by his employer, colleagues, and even his own roommates, alleging that the hostility was so severe that his food was poisoned.
He said that his troubles began when he joined Google as a contract worker through EPAM Systems. I was not paid fairly, not in accordance to DOL (Department of Labor) wage levels.
The loss of his job was devastating, but it was only part of the ordeal. After being terminated, Nizamuddin said he was forced to vacate his company-provided accommodation, leaving him feeling cornered and betrayed. Friends said he often spoke of how unfairly he was treated, lamenting that his hard work went unrecognized and his dignity was stripped away.
On September 3, events spiraled out of control. According to California police, officers responded to reports of a violent altercation at his Santa Clara residence. They said Nizamuddin had stabbed his roommate with a knife and was holding him down when police intervened. The officers opened fire, fatally shooting him. His roommate survived with multiple injuries.
For his grieving family in Telangana, the police version of events tells only half the story. They allege that Nizamuddin had endured sustained harassment, racial discrimination, and mental trauma in the months leading up to the incident. They have demanded a thorough probe into the circumstances that pushed him to such desperation, and into the decision by police to use lethal force.
In his LinkedIn post, Nizamuddin did not mince words about who he believed was responsible for his plight. So I ask the world to do the needful in demanding justice against the oppression and wrongdoings of people involved.
These words, now haunting in retrospect, reveal the intensity of his feelings of isolation and betrayal. For many who have read them, they reflect the wider anxieties faced by immigrant tech workers in the U.S. — long hours, precarious contracts, cultural alienation, and the ever-present fear of losing one’s job and visa.
Back home, his family has been left not only with grief but also with unanswered questions. “He kept telling us about the difficulties he was facing at work and the discrimination,” one relative said. He deserved justice, not bullets.”
The incident has sparked wider conversations in India’s tech community about workplace exploitation and the vulnerability of foreign workers in the U.S. Contract employees, who often form the backbone of large tech companies, have long complained of unequal pay, limited protections, and a lack of accountability from employers.
For now, what remains of Nizamuddin is a story both tragic and cautionary. It is the story of a young man who left home with ambition, only to find himself entangled in a cycle of conflict, despair, and ultimately, violence. His final words online suggest he saw his struggle as part of something larger — a call to confront injustice, so that others might not meet the same fate.
As investigations continue in California, his family waits for answers in Telangana, holding on to memories of a son, a brother, and a dreamer whose American journey ended far from the future he once imagined.