Two from Karnataka among 26 killed in J&K terror attack
Terrorists gunned down a group of tourists in a meadow near Kashmir’s Pahalgam town on Tuesday afternoon
Among 26 people killed in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on Tuesday, two of the deceased were from Karnataka. While one was a resident of Shivamogga, the other was from Mathikere in Bengaluru. Both were spending their holidays in Pahalgam with their families.
Terrorists gunned down a group of tourists in a picturesque meadow near Kashmir’s Pahalgam town on Tuesday afternoon, in what marked the worst attack on civilians in the restive region in nearly two decades. The deadly strike took place in Baisaran meadow, around five kilometres from Pahalgam town in Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
One of the victims in the attack was Manjunath Rao, a realtor from Shivamogga, who was visiting the area along with his family to celebrate their son securing 98% in the second PUC results announced recently. They left Shivamogga on April 19 and were scheduled to return on April 24. The other victim was Bharat Bhushan.
Soon after the attack, Shivamogga BJP MP BY Raghavendra called Rao’s wife, Pallavi, who narrated the incident to him. “We reached Pahalgam this morning and went to a tourist point. I went back to my son who was on a horseback while my husband went to a nearby shop to buy snacks. Suddenly, I heard some gunshots and assumed it was some army firing. When I turned around, I found my husband had fallen to the ground and was bleeding,” he quoted Pallavi as saying in a telephonic conversation.
“She further said that two to three people, who fired the shots, were standing next to her and asked whether she was a Hindu. ‘I told them aap ne mere pati ko maar daala, mujhe aur mere bete ko bhi maar do (you killed my husband, shoot me and my son too)’. However, the shooters reportedly told her ‘We don’t target women. Aap Modi ko jaake bol do (go and tell Modi)’,” the MP said.
Rao, his wife Pallavi and 18-year-old son had left Shivamogga on April 19 and were scheduled to return on April 24.
In a post on X, Bengaluru South MP Tejesvi Surya said he spoke to Sujatha, wife of Bharat Bhushan, and coordinated with the local administration for their safe stay at Anantnag.
“Her husband Sri Bharat Bhushan was shot dead earlier today (on Tuesday) in the terror attack. She and her 3-year-old son have survived. They and other families will be safely transported to Bengaluru as soon as possible,’’ he said.
After receiving the news of the attack, chief minister Siddaramaiah convened a meeting to help bring back people who had gone from Karnataka to Kashmir. The resident commissioner of Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi has been appointed to get details of tourists from Karnataka. In a post on X, Siddaramaiah said: “I strongly condemn the heinous terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Kannadigas are among the victims of this shocking incident. Upon receiving the news, I convened an emergency meeting and reviewed the situation with the chief secretary and senior police officials. I have also spoken to the Resident Commissioner in Delhi.”
“Following my directions, two teams — one of senior officers and another of police personnel — have been dispatched to J&K. An adventure team from the Sports Department, led by Commissioner Chethan, is also en route. I strongly condemn the heinous terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam, J&K. Kannadigas are among the victims of this shocking incident. Upon receiving the news, I convened an emergency meeting and reviewed the situation with the Chief Secretary and senior police officials. I have also spoken to the Resident Commissioner in Delhi,” he added.
