The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Srinagar attack: children, relatives of victims shocked in city

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 12, 2006

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Srinagar attack: children, relatives of victims shocked in city

Staff Reporter

Railway employee, wife and mother, among four killed

GRIEF-STRICKEN: Babli, daughter of Sandeep Bhattacharjee who was among those killed in Srinagar terrorist attack, being consoled by a relative in the city on Tuesday. - Photo: Mohd. Yousuf

HYDERABAD: The tragic death in terrorist attack in Srinagar of three Amarnath Yatra tourists of a single family from the city on Tuesday left their relatives and the Mirzalguda household shell-shocked here.

A railway employee Sandeep Bhattacharjee, 47, his wife Chaya, 40, and mother Pratima Devi, 65, were killed in the grenade attack while his mother-in-law Kamala sustained serious injuries. Bhattacharjee's younger sister Kaveri, who lives in Kolkata, also died in the attack while her husband Ashish escaped with injuries.

For Bhattacharjee's daughter Babli, a third year engineering student and son Susmit, a 10th standard student, it was rude jolt. As she got down from the car and walked into her aunt's house, Babli was surprised to see media cameramen and photographers follow her.

The 20-year-old girl's fears were confirmed when she saw her aunt Shikhamani, surrounded by saddened relatives, sitting in silence in the rear room. Even before she could react, her aunt and other relatives embraced her crying "Babli, your parents and grandma are no more."

Shocked by the sad news, Babli almost fainted crying "no, this cannot happen. You're lying". She became hysterical beating her head and thumping chest with her fists.

From West Bengal

Originally from West Bengal, 47-year-old Sandeep was working in South Central Railway as Commercial Inspector and settled in Hyderabad, some 20 years ago. He was living with his family at Mirjalaguda of Malkajgiri. "He had been planning for Amarnath Yathra for the past two to three years. It materialised this year " said Sandeep's younger brother Dileep, struggling to control tears. The victims had left for Kolkata on July 4. From there, Sandeep's younger sister Kaveri and her husband Ashish joined them. All the six started for the pilgrimage three days later. Kaveri too was killed in the terrorist attack while her husband escaped with wounds.

The couple's two children -Anandiya and Anand - live in Hyderabad. On learning the news, they flew to Srinagar by a flight in the afternoon.

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