Gujarat CM attends last rites of Pahalgam terror attack victims

Ahmedabad, April 24 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Thursday attended the last rites of a man and son duo who were killed in the terrorist attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam.

The mortal remains of the father and son duo from Bhavnagar were brought back to their hometown late Wednesday night.

The deceased, Yatish Parmar and his son Smit Parmar, were part of a 20-member group from Bhavnagar who had travelled to Kashmir to attend a religious discourse by Morari Bapu.

The group had gone for sightseeing in Pahalgam when the attack occurred on April 22.

Smit's mother, Kajal Parmar, broke down in heart-wrenching grief upon seeing the bodies of her husband and son. Their remains were first flown from Kashmir to Mumbai, then to Ahmedabad, and finally brought to Bhavnagar late at night.

Chief Minister Patel, Union Minister of State Nimuben Bambhaniya, Bhavnagar MLA Jitubhai Vaghani, Mayor Bharatbhai Barad, Municipal Chairman Rajubhai Rabadiya, District Collector Dr. Manish Bansal, and several local corporators and officials were present during the last rites of the man-son duo.

The terror attack in Pahalgam left one more Bhavnagar resident injured - Vinubhai Dabhi - who sustained a bullet wound in his right arm and is currently undergoing treatment in Kashmir.

The bullet reportedly grazed through his arm without causing major structural damage.

Chief Minister Patel has announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each for the injured tourist from the state.

Meanwhile, spiritual leader and Ram Katha exponent Morari Bapu has temporarily suspended his ongoing Ram Katha sessions in Srinagar due to the prevailing security situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

The announcement was made via an official post by the Shree Chitrakutdham Trust on X, stating: "Ram Katha 955, being held in Srinagar, has been postponed after the 5th day until further notice due to the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir. All those who attended the Katha are safe and well. The decision to postpone has been made purely in the interest of everyone's safety and well-being. The remaining four days of the Katha will resume when conditions permit."