Prashant Kumar Satpathy lost his life in the Pahalgam terror attack on Tuesday.

NEW DELHI: In the village of Ishani in Balasore district, nine-year-old Tanuj Kumar Satpathy performed the last rites of his father Prashant on Thursday morning, who lost his life in the Pahalgam terror attack. The scene at the crematorium was heart-wrenching as Priya Darshini, Prashant’s wife, refused to let go of his body until she lost consciousness.
The village witnessed a large gathering of people who came to pay their final respects to Prashant.
The funeral procession included chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, transport minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena, and Balasore MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi, who walked alongside Tanuj from his residence to the crematorium, situated about a kilometre away.
Onlookers lining the road to the crematorium were moved to tears watching Tanuj perform the traditional ritual of throwing puffed rice whilst accompanying his father’s body. The young boy, visibly stunned, simply followed the instructions given by the elders.
The funeral pyre was lit by Tanuj as people chanted ‘Jai Hind’ and ‘Prashant Satpathy Amar Rahe’.
Prashant, aged 41, worked at the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology. He was holidaying in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, with his wife and son.
The CM visited the bereaved family in the morning and spent an hour consoling Prashant’s 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.