Visakhapatnam: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday announced an ex gratia payment of Rs.10 lakh to the families of each of the two Pahalgam terror attack victims from Andhra Pradesh.Condemning the incident, Naidu urged citizens to serve as vigilant intelligence sources to guard against such incidents in future. He expressed solidarity with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this hour of a national crisis. Naidu paid tributes to Chandra Mouli, a Visakhapatnam resident and Somisetti Madhusudhan Rao from Kavali town in Nellore district, who lost their lives in Tuesday’s terror attack in Pahalgam. In the evening, the Chief Minister received the mortal remains of Chandramouli at Visakhapatnam airport, where he offered floral tributes and consoled the bereaved family.Accompanied by Union minister Rammohan Naidu, state home minister Vangalapudi Anitha and Visakhapatnam MP Sribharat, the Chief Minister walked alongside the decorated funeral vehicle for a distance. He joined the chants of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” through the streets at the head of the funeral cortege.Addressing the media, the CM provided details about the tragic incident. Chandra Mouli, a retired employee, was part of a group of three couples vacationing in Kashmir. Terrorists specifically targeted men while sparing women, suggesting a well-planned attack.Chandra Mouli was reportedly separated from others when he visited a restroom. He was killed with AK-47 gunfire while other family members managed to escape.Relatives of Madhusudhan Rao said the terrorists confirmed Rao religion before shooting him pointblank even as Kamakshi pleaded with them to spare him. Naidu said, “This attack on Kashmir, which holds a special place in every Indian’s heart, is particularly disturbing. Over the past 4-5 years, the Kashmir region had been experiencing peace, development and growing employment opportunities.”The Chief Minister condemned the attack in strong terms, asserting that such incidents would undermine India’s strengths and resolve. “We have tremendous power and equipment to respond,” he stated.Naidu called for national unity in the face of terrorism, urging all citizens to stand together and support the Prime Minister’s decisions in matters of national security. “When it comes to safety, we must all unite. We cannot bring back those we’ve lost, but we must support their families and instill courage among our people.”The chief minister emphasized increased vigilance, encouraging citizens to report suspicious activities and act as intelligence resources. Both state and central intelligence agencies would be activated to share information. AP’s extensive coastline requires special attention to security vulnerabilities, he said.In an interview with Deccan Chronicle, Chandramouli’s brother Kumar Raja said Chandramouli was missing until 1:30 am on Tuesday night. Around 1:45am, they received a call from officials to go and identify the body. The postmortem was done on Wednesday morning.Three families had traveled to Kashmir on the 18th. Chandra Mouli went with his two friends, Appana and Shashidhar. They were staying in Srinagar. On Tuesday, they were traveling by car.According to various accounts, Chandra Mouli had gone to the washroom. Upon returning, he witnessed the firing. While others attempted to escape, Chandramouli, who had heart issues, was unable to run fast and was caught.The couple has two daughters, both living abroad. They would fly in on Thursday. The body was kept in a private mortuary for now.
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