Pahalgam terror attack: ₹20 lakh ex-gratia announced for family of accountant

Odisha chief minister Mohan Majhi made the announcement shortly after he paid his respects to the mortal remains of Satpathy at his native village of Ishani in Balasore district

Published on: Apr 24, 2025, 10:13:39 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Odisha chief minister Mohan Majhi on Thursday announced ₹20 lakh ex-gratia for the next of kin of accountant Prasanta Satpathy, who was among the 26 tourists killed in Pahalgam terrorist attack, a job for his wife and free education for his son.

The Odisha CM assured the family of all help and announced a government job for his wife as well as free education for his son. (HT sourced photo)

Majhi made the announcement shortly after he paid his respects to the mortal remains of Satpathy at his native village of Ishani in Balasore district.

Prasant, a 42-year-old accounts assistant working with the skill development centre of Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology in Balasore, had arrived in Kashmir on April 19 with wife Priyadarshini and son. Pahalgam was last on their schedule. His wife and son had finished their zipline ride in Baisaran valley of Pahalgam and Prasant had just completed his ride, when he was hit by a bullet in head. He died an hour later.

Also Read:Pahalgam terror attack: Odisha accountant shot dead; wife, son safe

Majhi who met Prasant’s family, assured them of all help and announced a government job for his wife as well as free education for his 9-year-old son. He also announced ₹20 lakh ex-gratia for his family.

“The state government stands with the family,” he said.

Apart from Majhi, state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Manmohan Samal and other BJP leaders were present at Prasant’s home.

His elder brother Sushant said he never expected that he would be separated from his brother in such a fashion.

“We will never be apart. He departed before me,” said Sushant.

Neighbours recalled Prasant as a man of warmth and always ready to help. “He had promised us a Shiv Lingam for the neighbourhood temple which is under construction. It is unbearable that we have to shoulder his body,” said a neighbour.

On Wednesday night, his body was flown from Jammu and Kashmir to Bhubaneswar on a special flight at around 12:30am. Prashant will be cremated on Thursday.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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