Tragic homecoming: Mortal remains of terror attack victims reach Karnataka

The bodies of two out of three Karnataka tourists killed in the Pahalgam terror attack arrived in Bengaluru early Thursday morning. Bharath Bhushan from Bengaluru and Manjunath Rao from Shivamogga were brought back on a flight that landed at Kempegowda International Airport around 3:45 AM. Thirteen grieving family members accompanied them.

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Madhusudhan Rao, the third victim and a software engineer from Bengaluru’s Ramamurthy Nagar, is being transported to Nellore in Andhra Pradesh via Chennai. Manjunath Rao’s wife Pallavi and their son Abhijaya, who survived the attack traveled with relatives to Shivamogga, where his funeral will take place later in the day. 

The sight of Sujatha, Bhushan’s wife, cradling their sleeping three year-old son as she stepped out of the airport moved onlookers to tears. Bhushan’s body reached his Mathikere residence by 5:30 AM. His elderly mother, unaware of his death due to her health condition, was informed only after the body arrived. 

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, who accompanied the survivors praised the coordinated efforts of the army and Karnataka officials in ensuring a smooth repatriation. Meanwhile, a special flight carrying 180 stranded Karnataka tourists from Kashmir is also scheduled to arrive on Thursday.