New Delhi:
“I am Manjunath from Shivamogga, Karnataka. We have come on a Kashmir trip. Today is the day of our travel.” Seated on a shikara with his wife, 47-year-old Manjunath Rao looked delighted with the scenic beauty of the ‘paradise on earth’. Little did he know that his holiday — and his life — would be cut short by a heinous terror attack in Pahalgam.
As the nation struggles to cope with the loss of 26 innocent lives in the terror attack, a video of Manjunath and his wife Pallavi, probably their last together, has emerged. In the video, the couple says they are enjoying their trip and thanks the tour planner.
“Yesterday, we stayed in a boathouse. It was very nice. We are enjoying a shikara ride now. Mohammad Rafiq ji is rowing the shikara. Kajal Thakur of India Travel Store organised our trip,” Pallavi says in the video. Manjunath adds with a thumbs-up, “We really like this, very good service, thank you.” Pallavi says, “Thank you, Kajal ma’am.”
Hours later, Manjunath was shot dead in front of Pallavi and their 18-year-old son Abhijeya. In a voice choking with shock and grief, Pallavi told a Kannada TV channel over the phone, “My husband died right in front of me. I couldn’t cry or react, I couldn’t even comprehend what happened.”
She said that after Manjunath was shot, she and her son confronted one of the terrorists and asked him to shoot them too. “The terrorist replied, ‘Nahin marenge. Tum Modi ko jaake bolo’ (I won’t kill you. Go and tell Modi),” Pallavi said. She said a driver and three others helped them get to safety.
Madhav Murthy, Manjunath’s uncle, told news agency ANI, “His son scored 98 per cent marks in Class 12 exams, which is why he took his family to Jammu and Kashmir. They were eating panipuri when the terrorists attacked them.”
Karnataka minister Madhu Bangarappa visited Manjunath’s home and offered condolences. “This is very unfortunate, and such a situation was completely unexpected. Our minister is already present there and actively coordinating efforts. The state government is handling the matter with full care and responsibility,” she said.