Visakhapatnam, April 25 (PTI) Friends, relatives, family members, politicians cutting across party lines, and others attended the final rites of JC Chandra Mouli on Friday, who was one of the 26 tourists shot dead by terrorists at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir recently.

Two tourists from the southern state, Mouli and S Madhusudan, were killed in the Pahalgam attack on April 22.

“Mouli’s cremation took place around 1 pm near Convent Junction in the port city,” Nageshwar Rao, a relative, told PTI.

Rao added that Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav carried Mouli’s body for some time as part of the funeral rites.

State Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha visited the bereaved family and paid tributes.

“Chandra Mouli was close to everyone. He was always cheerful and helped society,” Anitha told a vernacular news channel.

She noted that Mouli was part of three families from Vizag who went on the fateful holiday and was killed in front of their eyes.

“We must severely condemn the actions of the terrorists. Nowadays, terrorists are targeting civilians. They prepared a questionnaire and then horrifically killed the tourists,” she said.

Reacting to the heinous attack, Anitha expressed concern over society’s future, lamenting the lack of humanity.

She also assured that there would be retaliation for the terror attack, and it was heart-wrenching to see Mouli’s wife and two daughters after his death.

Other leaders who paid tributes included Social Welfare Minister Dola Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy, Anakapalle MP CM Ramesh, TDP state president P Srinivas Rao, and others.

YSRCP leaders B Satyanarayana and G Amaranth also paid their respects.

Meanwhile, Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar organised a demonstration against the Pahalgam attack on Eluru road in Vijayawada.

“Terrorists targeting innocent civilians is heinous. State-wide demonstrations have been held over the past three days following the call by Janasena chief and Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan,” Manohar said in a press release.

He further emphasised that the government would not compromise on public security and promised appropriate measures. PTI STH SSK ROH