‘Govt’s duty to protect Kannadigas in distress’: CM Siddaramaiah pays tribute to victims of Pahalgam terror attack

BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday paid tribute to Bharat Bhushan, who died in the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, and said that it is unfortunate that a well-educated youth fell victim to the terrorist attack. He also strongly condemned the terrorist attack as an inhuman act.

CM Siddaramaiah also extended support to the central government, while calling the attack a “heinous” act. “It is the responsibility of the government to eradicate terrorists completely. Our government will fully support the Centre in completely suppressing terrorist activities in the country and defeating terrorists. Killing innocent people in broad daylight, in front of their families, is a heinous act. Pulwama and Balakot incidents have happened in Kashmir in the past, and such incidents have recurred”, Siddaramaiah said.

He added that the failure of the Centre’s intelligence department may have led to such an incident. “A compensation of Rs 10 lakh each has been announced for the families of Kannadigas killed in the terrorist attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam”, CM Siddaramaiah said and added that it is the government’s duty to protect Kannadigas in distress.

#WATCH | Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah arrived at the residence of Bharat Bhushan – a resident of Bengaluru, who was killed in the #PahalgamTerroristAttack, to pay last respects.

He also interacted with the grieving family. pic.twitter.com/wz643TBbIt

— ANI (@ANI) April 24, 2025

“Bharat Bhushan, Manjunath Rao and Madhusudan, who were based in Bengaluru, have passed away. Minister Ramalinga Reddy met with the families of Bharat Bhushan in Bengaluru and Manjunath Rao in Shivamogga and was instructed to provide support to them”, CM Siddaramaiah said.

“Labour Minister Santosh Lad and a team of officials were immediately sent to make arrangements for the rescue of Kannadigas stranded in Kashmir and the bringing of the bodies of those who died in the incident to the state. 175 Kannadigas are being safely brought back to the state”, the CM said and added that it is the government’s duty to protect Kannadigas in distress.

“The central government has already taken some steps regarding the terrorist attack in Kashmir,” Siddaramaiah said, adding that the state government will have full support for further steps to eliminate the terrorists.

Terrorists attacked tourists at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam on Tuesday, killing 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen while leaving several others injured, in one of the deadliest attacks in the valley since the 2019 Pulwama strike in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed.

Following the attack, India has taken strong countermeasures against Pakistan for its support of cross-border terrorism. In the CCS meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah, India decided to hold the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.

India has also decided to close the integrated Attari Check Post with immediate effect. Further, the country has decided to cancel any visas provided under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) and ordered Pakistan to leave the country within 48 hours. India declared Defence/Military, Naval and Air Advisors in the Pakistani High Commission as Persona Non Grata and ordered to leave India within a week.

As a security measure, India has decided to withdraw its own Defence, Navy, and Air Advisors from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. These posts in the respective High Commissions are deemed annulled. Five support staff of the Service Advisors will also be withdrawn from both High Commissions.

The overall strength of the high commissions will be brought down to 30 from the present 55 through further reductions, to be effective by 01 May 2025. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced the decisions in a press briefing on Wednesday after the CEC meeting. (ANI)