Bhubaneswar, Apr 23 (PTI) Many political parties and a number of organisations on Wednesday evening took out candlelight marches across Odisha, condemning the Pahalgam terror attack and expressing solidarity with the families of the victims.

Congress members, led by OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das, took out a candlelight march from Congress Bhawan here, while the ruling BJP members held a similar procession near Sri Ram Mandir to pay tribute to the people killed in the terrorist attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

CPI(M) and other Left parties also took out separate rallies protesting the terror attack.

All political parties demanded stringent action against those responsible for the ghastly act.

Twenty six including one from Odisha, were killed in the terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam on Tuesday. Prashant Satpathy, a resident of Odisha’s Balasore district and an employee of Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET), was among the 26 people, mostly tourists, killed in the terror attack.

An organisation of the Muslim community took out a rally in Balasore town condemning the terror attack in Kashmir and demanding safety for the common citizens. “We want justice,” said a banner displayed during the rally.

The Hindu Jagaran Manch and other right-wing organisations also hit the streets condemning the terror strike in the Kashmir valley and urged the central government to take action against those responsible for the terror activities.

Jai Hind, an organisation following the ideology of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, also took out a silent rally protesting the ghastly act and expressed their solidarity with the Indian Army to root out terrorism from the country.

Reports of candlelight rallies were received from different districts across Odisha.

Eminent Sand artist Sudarshan Pattanaik created a sand art at the Puri sea beach in tribute to the Pahalgam victims. PTI AAM AAM RG