A brief summer vacation ended in horror for Madhusudhan Rao, a 45-year-old software engineer from Bengaluru, who was among the victims of the recent terror attack in Pahalgam. Rao, who left for Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday with his wife Kamakshi Prasanna and their two children, was shot dead on Tuesday. News of his death shocked his neighbours in Riches Garden Layout, Ramamurthy Nagar.
“He said he’d be back by Friday. We never imagined it would end like this,” said Babu Venu, a close friend and neighbour of 15 years. Rao hadn’t mentioned where he was travelling—just that it was a holiday.
According to reports, terrorists boarded the tourist bus and confronted Rao. When asked his name and religion, he replied “Muslim.” They demanded he recite a verse from the Quran. When he failed to do so, they asked him to strip. His refusal led to him being shot.
A native of Kavali in Andhra Pradesh’s Nellore district, Rao had lived in Bengaluru for over 10 years. His wife is also an IT professional. Their daughter and son are 17 and 12 respectively.
“He was cheerful, fair-minded, and never hurt anyone with words,” said Venu. The community is reeling from the loss. A candlelight vigil and a walk are planned in his memory. “He was always a part of our festivals,” added Malthesh from the local welfare association.
Rao’s remains are being taken to Nellore for the final rites, with several neighbours accompanying the family.
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