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

Pahalgam was their final stop before their scheduled return to Bhubaneswar on Wednesday. Hours before the attack, Prasanta had shared videos on social media

Published on: Apr 23, 2025, 15:08:50 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Bhubaneswar: A family vacation for the Satpathys from Odisha turned into a tragedy on Tuesday afternoon, moments after they had completed a zipline ride in Pahalgam.

Prasant Satpathy (43), an accounts assistant at the Skill Development Centre of the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology (CIPET) in Balasore, had travelled to Kashmir with his wife Priyadarshini and their 9-year-old son Tanuj on April 19

Prasanta Kumar Satpathy (43), an accounts assistant at the Skill Development Centre of the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology (CIPET) in Balasore, had travelled to Kashmir with his wife Priyadarshini and their 9-year-old son Tanuj on April 19. Pahalgam was their final stop before their scheduled return to Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.

He was posing for a photo when a bullet struck him in the head. Priyadarshini and Tanuj managed to escape the scene unharmed.

“The firing was sudden and unexpected. When I saw my husband he was still breathing and could recognise me till he passed out. An hour later, the local police informed me that he was dead and they are taking his body for post-mortem. My world has come crashing down,” said Priyadarshini.

Also Read: Pahalgam: Three from West Bengal, including IB officer, killed in terror attack

Just hours before the terrorist attack, Prasanta had shared videos and photos of their holiday on social media.

Prasanta was the youngest of three brothers living in a joint family in his native village of Ishani, in Balasore district. “I felt ground slipping below my feet. I had spoken to him in the morning. He was extremely close to me,” Susanta, Prasanta ‘s elder brother, said.

His co-worker from Bhubaneswar’s CIPET recalled Prasanta as a person who “handled complex financial records with a smile.”

Prasanta’s childhood friend Amar Kumar Das said both of them were supposed to go to Kashmir, but he dropped out as his leaves were not approved. “On Tuesday morning, he shared some video and photos of their tour but in the afternoon I heard the news of his death. I cannot believe that he is dead,” he said.

Also Read: Pahalgam terror attack: SBI employee killed on eve of birthday

Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi said he is coordinating with authorities to bring Prasanta’s body home by late Wednesday evening.

According to the Office of the Resident Commissioner of Odisha in New Delhi, Prasanta’s body would arrive in Delhi from Srinagar at 2.35 pm after which it would reach Bhubaneswar on a late evening flight, reaching around 9.45 pm.

Local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs Manas Dutta and Gobind Das visited Prasant’s home on Wednesday to offer their condolences, while BJP lawmaker from Bhubaneswar, Aparajita Sarangi, met Prasanta’s wife and child in Kashmir.

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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