He was a soft-spoken person: Friends of Bengaluru techie killed in Pahalgam terror attack

Bengaluru: Bharat Bhushan, one of the victims of the terror attack, will reach Bengaluru in the early hours of Thursday and will be cremated in the morning.

The 41-year-old software engineer had travelled with his wife and three-and-half-year-old son to Jammu and Kashmir on April 18, just four days after his 41st birthday.

He was to return with his family on Wednesday, said his childhood friends who were supervising arrangements at his residence at Sundar Nagar, Gokula.

On Wednesday, police barricaded the entry to 1st main road, Sundar Nagar. A small crowd of relatives and friends had gathered at Bhushan’s house near 4th cross road. 

“Preetham, Bhushan’s elder brother, was informed first. We got confirmation at around 8 pm,” said Prem, a member of Sundar Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association and one of Bhushan’s friends.

Bhushan’s parents are reportedly heart patients, and his mother, who is also a diabetic, has not yet been informed of the death.

She was recently discharged from ICU and has been on oxygen support, said Bhushan’s mother-in-law, who lives in SBM colony.

She has reportedly been in touch with her daughter, Sujatha, who is a doctor, since 2.45 pm on Tuesday. Sujatha and her son were shifted to a secure location in Srinagar by army personnel.

“They have been married for almost five years. They planned this trip a month ago. Now, six to seven people are coming in the flight with the body,” she said.

Premanand and other friends remembered Bhushan very fondly, calling him a “no-nonsense guy”.

“He would keep to himself, but he mixed well with everyone. It is very unfortunate that we lost him,” he said.

“I’ve known him for over 30 years. He was a gentle, soft-spoken person. I’ve never seen him raise his voice. We played cricket and celebrated festivals together. He didn’t deserve this death?,” said Prithvi, another friend.

R R Nagar MLA Munirathna, who visited the deceased’s home, called Bhushan “a good man”. “At 1 pm on Thursday, the body will be taken to the Hebbal crematorium and will be cremated with Vokkaliga customs,” he said.

Surya takes the lead

Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya travelled with the 13 family members of the victims of terror attack – Manjunath Rao of Shivamogga, Madhusudan and Bharath Bhushan of Bengaluru. They are flying from Srinagar to Delhi and later from Delhi to Bengaluru. They are due to reach Bengaluru at 3.45 am on Thursday. The mortal remains of the victims are also being transported in the same flights.

Surya has been coordinating with the families to make arrangements for their stay and meals, along with travel.