West Bengal minister Aroop Biswas on Tuesday met the family members of Bitan Adhikary, a 40-year-old IT professional from the state who was killed in a deadly terrorist attack near Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, and assured them of all support in bringing back the body.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also spoke to the Adhikary's wife over the phone and said that her government is taking steps to bring back the body to their Kolkata home.
Adhikary had travelled to Kashmir last week with his wife and son for a holiday. While his family members are safe, he lost his life in the terror strike.
"The state Home Department and the Resident Commissioner in New Delhi are in touch with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Jammu and Kashmir government to ensure that the man's body is brought back to the state at the earliest," Biswas said after meeting the bereaved family at their residence.
"The body is currently at Srinagar General Hospital. It will be sent back after the post-mortem examination is completed," he added.
The CM condemned the attack as an "inhuman act of terror" and said that her heart goes out to the families of the victims.
In a post on X, CM Banerjee said, "My heart goes out to the families of the victims of the devastating terrorist attack on the tourists in Jammu and Kashmir today. One of the victims, Sri Bitan Adhikari, is from West Bengal. I have talked with his wife over phone. Though no words are enough to console her in this hour of grief, I have assured her that my government is taking all steps to bring back his mortal remains to his house at Kolkata." "My deepest condolences to all the families who have lost their loved ones in this inhuman act of terror," she added.
A relative of the the person who died said, "I spoke to my younger brother this morning. He told me that once he returned from Kashmir, we would plan an extended holiday nearby. We had no idea it would be the last time we'd speak." The attack took place on Tuesday afternoon near a popular meadow close to Pahalgam town in Kashmir, leaving at least 26 people dead, most of them tourists.
A senior official confirmed that among the victims were two foreign nationals and two locals. He also warned that the death count could rise as several of the injured remain in critical condition.
This has been described as the deadliest attack in Kashmir Valley since the Pulwama terror strike in 2019.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
