Jhalda/Kolkata, Apr 24 (PTI) Carrying a giant tricolour, thousands walked through Jhalda town in West Bengal’s Purulia district on Thursday, accompanying the coffin of Intelligence Bureau officer Manish Ranjan, a victim of the Pahalgam terror attack.

Another anti-terror rally was held in Kolkata, where a large number of members from minority communities gathered to demand immediate action against those responsible for the April 22 terror attack.

The attack claimed 26 lives, including three tourists from West Bengal.

Manish Ranjan, a 33-year-old section officer with the Intelligence Bureau posted in Hyderabad, was among the deceased.

His body was brought to his residence from Ranchi airport in Jharkhand on Thursday morning and then taken to Jhalda, about 50 km away.

More than 3,000 mourners, chanting “Amar Rahe,” joined the funeral procession.

Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar and MP Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato also participated in Ranjan’s final journey.

Majumdar and Mahato offered floral tributes and consoled Ranjan’s grieving parents—his elderly father, retired school teacher MK. Mishra, and his mother, who has been bedridden since receiving the devastating news.

“Those involved in such heinous attacks on unarmed, innocent tourists belonging to the Hindu community will be identified and given the strictest punishment. Their abettors will also be identified and get the response they deserve,” said Majumdar, as the crowd echoed demands for justice and swift action.

Meanwhile, over 265 km away in Kolkata, hundreds participated in a peace rally from Park Circus Maidan to Sealdah.

Led by Indian Secular Front (ISF) MLA Naushad Siddique, the participants demanded justice for the Pahalgam victims and action against Pakistan-sponsored outfits believed to be instigating unrest in the Kashmir Valley.

“Terrorism has no religion, killers have no religion, killers of humanity can’t have any religion. We the people of Bengal condemn the dastardly attack on innocent tourists and demand prompt action against the abettors. Any attempt to cause discord and rift among different communities should be condemned. We are all united in fighting terror,” Siddique said. PTI SUS MNB