In a heart-wrenching morning, the mortal remains of Bharath Bhushan, a 41-year-old techie slain in the Pahalgam terror attack, arrived at his Mathikere home in Bengaluru at 5:45 am on 24 April. His body was brought in an ambulance directly from Kempegowda International Airport, marking a grim homecoming for his grieving family.

Bhushan’s mother, aged 60 and recently discharged from the hospital, was not immediately told of her son’s death due to her fragile health. His father, Chennaveerappa, sat beside the body, silently mourning, while his wife, Sujatha, emotionally expressed regret over their Kashmir trip: “We should not have gone to Kashmir.”

Eyewitness accounts shared by neighbours were chilling. “He was holding his son when terrorists asked his name. After he answered, they told him to hand over his son to his wife—and then they shot him,” said a neighbour. His three-year-old son, Havish, was with relatives inside the house.

Bhushan had embarked on the trip on 18 April with his wife, son, brother Preetham, and brother-in-law. Preetham, who was present during the attack, was left shattered. “They fired two bullets. He was gone in a second. I still can’t believe it,” he said.

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah visited the bereaved family and announced ₹10 lakh financial aid. Union Minister V Somanna, BJP MLC CT Ravi, and MLA Munirathna also paid their respects. The cremation was held at Hebbal crematorium at 3 pm.