'Terrorists behind Pahalgam massacre will not be spared', says Bengal BJP chief

Kolkata, April 25 (IANS) The terrorists responsible for the Pahalgam massacre in Kashmir and their handlers will not be spared at any cost, said West Bengal BJP President and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar on Thursday, while walking at the last journey of slain Intelligence Bureau (IB) official Manish Ranjan Mishra, who was one of the three tourists from West Bengal who was killed on Tuesday.

The body of Mishra reached Ranchi airport on Thursday morning and from there his widow started with the mortal remains of her husband for Jhalda in West Bengal's Purulia district, where the slain IB officer was born and also his ancestral house.

As the mortal remains of the IB officer reached Jhalda, the residents of this small municipal town came out on the streets and started following the vehicles carrying the mortal remains of Mishra.

The residents of Jhalda have already observed a 12-hour strike from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in memory of Mishra on Thursday.

Those who participated in the last journey included Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar.

"What had happened at Pahalgam was horrific. Incidentally, I was in Purulia and so I came here to pay homage to the brave son of the soil. The entire country should know how the tourists were selectively killed at Pahalgam. Those who conducted such a massacre as well as those who were masterminds behind it will not be spared. Manish Ranjan Mishra was killed as he was unable to recite Kalma. So several leaders are still claiming that terrorists do not have religion. Such leaders are just trying to accept the reality," Majumdar said.

Although currently posted in Hyderabad, where Mishra used to reside currently with his wife, son and daughter, he was born in Jhalda, where he spent his school days.

His other family members, including his parents, still reside at his ancestral residence at Jhalda.

Mishra was earlier posted at the Jharkhand capital of Ranchi and he recently got transferred to Hyderabad.

Mishra reached Pahalgam with his wife, son, and daughter and had plans to visit the Vaishno Devi temple, confirmed by his other family members, who reside at Jhalda.

He left Hyderabad for a prolonged holiday with his family on April 15.

--IANS

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