CM Announces Aid for Odia Tourist Killed in Terror Attack

Balasore: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday announced an ex gratia of Rs 20 lakh for the family of Prasant Kumar Satpathy, the Odia tourist who lost his life in the recent terror attack at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Chief Minister, who visited Satpathy’s native village Ishani under Remuna block in Balasore district, also declared that the state government will provide a government job to the deceased’s wife and cover the educational expenses of his son.

Majhi paid floral tributes to the departed soul and offered condolences to the grieving family. The mortal remains of Satpathy, 43, arrived at the village on Thursday morning, drawing hundreds of mourners from the community.

Satpathy was among 26 tourists killed in the tragic firing incident that shook the nation. His body was flown from Jammu and Kashmir to Bhubaneswar late Wednesday night, arriving at the Biju Patnaik International Airport around 12:30 am. Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari, BJP State President Manmohan Samal, PCC President Bhakta Charan Das, Director General of Police YB Khurania, and other senior officials paid their respects at the airport.

Following a formal handover, the body was taken to his village for the final rites, with arrangements made by the district administration.

Satpathy was working as an accounts assistant at the Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET) in Balasore. His untimely death has cast a pall of gloom over his village, as locals mourn the loss of a respected and beloved member of the community.