BENGALURU: Three-year-old Havish was merrily playing with his father Bharath and mother Sujatha in the lush meadows of Pahalgam when the tragedy struck on Tuesday. Nobody could have imagined it, and certainly not Havish as his dad was shot dead right in front of his eyes. His mother Sujatha, a doctor, instinctively and hoping against hope checked Bharath’s pulse, only to know the horrid truth.
Bharath Bhushan (41), a resident of Sundar Nagar near Mathikere in Yeshwanthpur, Bengaluru, was on a vacation with his wife Dr Sujatha and Havish to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. A former software engineer, he had recently quit his job and was running a diagnostic centre near his wife’s clinic. His mother, a heart patient, is yet to be informed about his death.
Bharath’s mother-in-law, Vimala, was inconsolable when TNIE contacted her. She said, “The family was supposed to return today (Wednesday) morning around 10.30. Unfortunately, we are receiving my son-in-law’s body.” Vimala said Sujatha called her around 2.40 pm on Tuesday and told her that Bharath had been shot dead by terrorists. “Sujatha told me that she checked his pulse and confirmed he was no more. She then picked up his identity card from his pocket and ran from the spot with the child,” she said.
Vimala cursed herself for telling her daughter and son-in-law to go to Pahalgam, as she had visited the beautiful place with her friends and neighbours about a year ago. Vimala said terrorists sought everyone’s Aadhaar card and asked whether they were Muslim or Hindu before executing them.
She said both Bharath’s parents are heart patients and his mother, Shailakumari, was discharged from hospital recently and is on oxygen support. Shailakumari has not been told about her son’s death, Vimala said. Bharath’s father, Channaveerappa, a retired Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI), was informed about the tragedy on Wednesday morning.
Another relative, Pradeep, told TNIE that Bharath had just finished a horse ride when he was attacked. “A terrorist approached him and asked his name. When he heard Bharath Bhushan, he shot him three to four times, including once in the head,” Pradeep quoted Sujatha as saying.
He said Bharath and Sujatha got married five years ago and the trip was planned a month ago. Bharath’s elder brother and Sujatha’s two brothers rushed to Srinagar soon after they heard the news. Bharath’s father-in-law, Sitharam, said the cremation will be held at Hebbal around 1 pm on Thursday.
Another Bengaluru resident, Madhusudhan Rao, from Ramamurthy Nagar and originally from Nellore in Andhra Pradesh was also killed in the attack. His neighbour, Babu, said Madhusudhan had gone to Kashmir with his wife, daughter and son for a vacation.
Madhusudan, a software engineer, was living in Bengaluru for the last 15 years. Rao was sitting alone when the terrorists approached and opened fire. His wife and children had gone to a nearby camp to collect food. The police said the family arrived in Kashmir on Sunday. Madhusudan’s body will be flown to Chennai and then taken to his hometown.