Kochi: More than 20 hours after 68-year-old Ramachandran was fatally shot while on holiday in Kashmir’s Pahalgam, his wife remains unaware of his death.
Congress legislator T. Siddique, who is currently in Kashmir as part of a delegation of Kerala legislators, spoke to the media over the phone on Wednesday. He said he had met Aarti Menon, Ramachandran’s daughter.
"Aarti told us her mother has not yet been informed of his passing. She is a heart patient, and the family has only told her that he sustained injuries and is being flown back to Kochi for further treatment," Siddique said.
He added that all members of the delegation had met Aarti and expressed their condolences. “The body of Ramachandran will soon be airlifted to Delhi. Aarti, her two children, and her mother will travel on the same flight,” Siddique said.
“From Delhi, the body will be transported to Kochi, where it is expected to arrive by 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday,” he added.
Back in Kochi, friends and relatives at Ramachandran’s residence remain in a state of shock.
“They had left for a short holiday to Kashmir on Monday. Initially, we heard that a Malayalee named Menon was among the deceased, and later we realized it was our own Ramachandran. We are yet to come to terms with the news. We have known each other for decades,” said Jayalekshmi, a neighbour.
Ramachandran, a former non-resident Indian who spent many years in the Middle East, had returned to settle in Kochi five years ago.
Aarti and her children, who live abroad, had come earlier this month for a short vacation to spend time with her parents when the tragedy struck.
Union Minister Amit Shah, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and LG Manoj Sinha on Wednesday paid tributes to those killed in the Pahalgam terror attack.
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