Karnataka is mourning the deaths of three of its residents who were among the tourists shot dead by terrorists in Pahalgam. Their bodies are expected to arrive in Bengaluru late Wednesday evening.
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Karnataka is mourning the deaths of three of its residents who were among the tourists shot dead by terrorists in Pahalgam. Their bodies are expected to arrive in Bengaluru late Wednesday evening.
The Karnataka government has sent a team of officials, police officers, and a minister to help the tourists from the state stranded in Pahalgam and nearby areas. According to the last count, some 40 tourists from Karnataka are said to be stuck in the terror-stricken area.
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Karnataka Chief Minister S Siddaramaiah, who is personally supervising the arrangement and facilities for the state’s residents, said he had directed officials to arrange a special flight to bring every Kannadiga back safely.
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He has also sent a minister from Karnataka to oversee preparations to bring back all Kannadigas.
It may be recalled that all private airlines have begun charging exorbitant fares after the terrorist attack made people scramble to return home or at least get away from the state. The Union government has advised airlines to desist from this kind of profit-making, but reports indicate that they are still charging heavily for flights from Kashmir.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, “I have directed the authorities to arrange a special flight to ensure their safe return to Karnataka. Our government is committed to bringing every Kannadiga back home safely. There is no cause for concern.”
State Labour Minister Santhosh Lad arrived in Pahalgam on Wednesday morning, where he met Pallavi Rao, the wife of Manjunath, and assisted her in identifying her husband’s body. He is supervising the arrangements being made to assist the residents of Karnataka and is coordinating their safe return home.
According to Karnataka government officials, the three men, who were shot dead, have been identified as residents of Rannebennur and Shivamogga, while one was based in Bengaluru.
Bharat Bhushan (41) from Haveri’s Rannebennur, who was travelling with his wife Savitha and son Havish, succumbed to injuries following the attack. Manjunath Rao, a 47-year-old businessman from Shivamogga, was also killed in the shooting. Officials said the third victim, Madhusudhan Somishetty, originally from Andhra Pradesh, was a resident of Bengaluru’s Ramamurthy Nagar.
According to the officials, the aircraft carrying the body of Madhusudhan Somishetty will reach Chennai via Mumbai. His wife Venkata, daughter Medha, and son Mukund are also expected to be on the flight with another passenger, Padakandla Nagendra Kumar.
The body of Bharat Bhushan will be transported in another aircraft, which will also carry his wife Savitha and son Havish, as well as five other passengers, to Bengaluru.
Manjunath’s body will be flown on an aircraft scheduled to depart from Srinagar at 6 pm. His wife Pallavi and son Abhijaya will also board the flight, which is set to reach Shivamogga via New Delhi and Bengaluru.
Meanwhile, BJP MP from South Bengaluru, Tejasvi Surya, who is already in Jammu and Kashmir for a meeting, also met the families of all the victims and said he would accompany them to Bengaluru.
“Alongside Karnataka Minister Shri @SantoshSLadINC, we will remain with the family every step of the way — until the mortal remains are brought back with dignity, and the family safely returns to Bengaluru and then to their hometown in Shivamogga. We’re standing by them completely — until the very last person is taken care of,” Tejaswi Surya posted on the social media platform X.
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