Kolkata: West Bengal Minister Aroop Biswas visited the family of 40-year-old IT professional Bitan Adhikary, who was killed in a terrorist attack near Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, on Tuesday night and assured them of full support in bringing his body back.
Adhikary, an IT professional working for TCS in Florida, USA, was among the 26 victims of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. He had returned to his parental home in Patuli, Kolkata, on April 8 for a vacation and travelled to Kashmir on April 16 with his wife Sohini and their son Hridan. Bitan was scheduled to return to Kolkata on Thursday.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also reached out to Adhikary’s wife over the phone, expressing her condolences and confirming that the state government was actively working to bring his body back to their home in Kolkata.
“Sohini called us up on Tuesday morning. Sohini was so happy. She talked about the plans. They were so happy. I don’t know how to face them. Bitan was the only earning member of the family and I don’t know what is going to happen after this,” said one of the family members who broke down in front of minister Aroop Biswas.
After meeting the grieving family at their residence, Minister Biswas said, "The state home department and the resident commissioner in New Delhi are in constant contact with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the J&K government to ensure the swift return of the body to the state."
He added that the body was currently at Srinagar General Hospital and would be sent back once the post-mortem is completed.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the incident as an "inhuman act of terror" and expressed heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims.
"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 the 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 in Kolkata. My deepest condolences to all the families who have lost their loved ones in this inhuman act of terror," the chief minister wrote on her X handle.
