Pahalgam terror attack: Silence prevails at Manjunath Rao’s home ‘Manjushree’ in Shivamogga

Geetha, Manjunath Rao’s mother-in-law, wanted to know why the government of India allowed tourists to visit Kashmir if the place was not safe for visitors.

Shivamogga

Amidst continuous visits of politicians and officials, a sense of silence has filled ‘Manjushree’, the house of Manjunath Rao at Vijaya Nagar in Shivamogga, Karnataka. Mr. Rao was killed on April 22 in the terror attack at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir.

People gathered at the house were talking about when the mortal remains of Manjunath Rao would reach Shivamogga while his aged mother, Sumathi, struggles to digest the hard truth.

The relatives of Manjunath Rao heard about his death around 3 p.m. on April 22. However, the relatives avoided informing his mother about the death, and ensured that the television remained turned off. She sensed something was wrong as the number of people visiting the place increased.

Elected representatives and police officials reached the place, which caused concern about the safety of her son and his family who were away in Jammu and Kashmir. She asked the relatives around if everything was fine, and enquired when Manju and his family would return.

Manjunath, a realtor, is the only son of Sumathi, who lost her husband two years ago. Her daughter lives in Tirthahalli. Relatives waited till evening so that her daughter could reach the place and convey the news to her mother. Only after the old woman had dinner was she informed about the tragic incident.

Manjunath left for the trip on April 19, with wife Pallavi R., who works for the Malnad Area Marketing Cooperative Society, and son Abhijan, 18. They planned the trip through a private travel agency. They were celebrating, as Abhijan had cleared the II PUC had secured 97% in the commerce stream.