CM Pinarayi Vijayan Consoles Family of N Ramachandran, Victim of Pahalgam Terror Attack

Kochi: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan visited the residence of N Ramachandran, the sole Malayali victim of the Pahalgam terror attack, to offer his condolences. Accompanying the Chief Minister were Finance Minister K N Balagopal, CPI M State Secretary M V Govindan, and District Secretary S Satheesh.
Ramachandran had returned to Kerala after spending decades as a migrant worker in Dubai. Upon his return, he set up a small business in Mamangalam and became actively involved in local politics. Recently, he, along with his wife Sheela, daughter Aarathi, and grandchildren — who had travelled from Dubai — went on a family trip to Kashmir. They arrived on April 21st; tragedy struck the following day in the form of a deadly terror attack.
Ramachandran’s mortal remains were received by Kerala government representative Minister P Prasad at the airport on Wednesday night. His funeral was held on Friday with full official honours, drawing thousands from across the state who came to pay their last respects.
Meanwhile, Ramachandran’s daughter, Aarathi, became the target of severe cyberattacks following her remarks expressing gratitude towards the Muslim drivers who had helped the family during the crisis.
“When fear gripped the entire region after the massacre, it was two young Muslim drivers from Kashmir who rushed to our aid. They protected us from all sides, stayed with us until 3 AM, and helped us identify my father at the mortuary and handle other formalities. They are like two brothers I found in Kashmir. They cared for me like younger siblings. May Allah protect them,” Aarathi had said. Her heartfelt words, however, triggered online abuse from certain quarters.
The Pahalgam terror attack claimed the lives of 26 people, most of whom were tourists. It is considered the deadliest attack in the valley since the Pulwama incident of 2019.