Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan visited the home of N Ramachandran, a victim of the recent Pahalgam terrorist attack, on Sunday, April 27, to offer his condolences. Ramachandran, a native of Kerala, was among the 26 people killed when terrorists opened fire at a tourist spot near Pahalgam in Kashmir on April 22.
The Chief Minister spent a few minutes with the grieving family, consoling Ramachandran’s wife Sheela and daughter Arathi, who had witnessed the tragic incident. He was accompanied by Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) State Secretary MV Govindan, Finance Minister KN Balagopal, and other local leaders.
Pinarayi was unable to attend Ramachandran’s last rites, which were held with full state honours on April 25.
MLA KK Shailaja also visited Ramachandran’s family and extended her condolences. Praising Arathi’s courage, Shailaja said, “Despite being in deep pain and sorrow, Arathi acted responsibly, taking care of her mother and family. We must strongly protest against terrorism and work towards ensuring that such incidents do not happen again.”
Narrating the horrifying events, Arathi had earlier told the media, “When the terrorists approached us, they asked my father to recite the Kalima. We said we were not aware of it. Within five seconds, they shot my father dead in front of me and my twin sons.” She also credited their driver, Musafir, a local Kashmiri, for promptly alerting authorities after she managed to contact him once her phone signal was restored.
Ramachandran had been holidaying in Kashmir with his wife Sheela, daughter Arathi — who works in Dubai — and her twin sons, when the attack occurred.