Balasore, Apr 24 (PTI) A traumatised nine-year-old Tanuj Kumar Satpathy lit the funeral pyre of his father, Prashant, killed in the terror attack in Pahalgam, at their village in Odisha’s Balasore district on Thursday morning.

It was difficult for Prashant’s relatives to take the body to the crematorium as his wife Priya Darshini did not allow anyone to touch it. She hugged the body as long as she could till she fainted.

Hundreds of people from far and wide had gathered in Ishani village in Remuna block to pay their respects to Prashant.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena, and Balasore MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi were among those who accompanied Tanuj from his home to the crematorium, around a kilometre away.

Many of those waiting on the two sides of the road to the crematorium broke down when they saw Tanuj throwing puffed rice while accompanying his father’s body as per the ritual. Overwhelmed with the situation, he was dumbfounded, just following the directions of his elders.

Amid chants of ‘Jai Hind’ and ‘Prashant Satpathy Amar Rahe’, Tanuj lit the funeral pyre of his father.

Prashant, 41, was an employee of the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology. He went to Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir with his wife and son on vacation.

Majhi met his family in the morning and spent around an hour at their house, consoling his wife and elderly mother.

“I strongly condemn the incident, and the state government solidly stands with the family of Prashant Satpathy at this hour of crisis. The state will provide financial assistance of Rs 20 lakh, a job for his wife and take care of his son’s education,” he told reporters. PTI CORR AAM SOM