TCS techie from US killed in Pahalgam terror attack; wife, son survive

A 40-year-old US-based techie, Bitan Adhikary, was shot dead along with 25 other people after a Lashkar-e-Taiba offshoot, The Resistance Front (TRF), launched a terror attack on tourists on Tuesday, April 22,The Times of India  reported.  

Bitan Adhikary, who lives in Brandon, Florida, United States, reached his hometown on April 8, as per the reports, with his wife Sohini and three-year-old son, Hridaan, on their summer break.

The family arrived in Kashmir on April 16 and was set to return on Thursday, April 24. The trio arrived in Pahalgam hours before the terrorists attacked the Baisaran valley near the Pahalgam tourist resort in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district.

What happened to Adhikary's wife and child?

Bitan Adhikary's wife, Sohini and son Hridaan were lucky enough to survive the terror attack and are currently headed to their hometown, Kolkata, after Tuesday's traumatising incident, according to media reports. 

West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, called up Sohini to express condolences after the attack, and assured her that the state government would extend all the possible help needed to bring them back home.

According to people aware of the development, other tourists who are from West Bengal are also receiving help after Tuesday's attack in Pahalgam, as per the report.

“One of the victims, Sri Bitan Adhikari, is from West Bengal. I have talked with his wife over phone. Though no words are enough to console her in this hour of grief, I have assured her that my Government is taking all steps to bring back his mortal remains to his house at Kolkata,” said Mamata Banerjee in her post on X. 

Victim from West Bengal

According to CM Mamata Banerjee's post on X, three people from West Bengal have died in the Pahalgam terror attack.

The victims' names were Bitan Adhikari (of Baishnabghata, Kolkata), Samir Guha (Sakher Bazar, Kolkata), and Manish Ranjan (Jhalda, Purulia), according to the post.

“No word is enough as condolence for their families, even while my heart goes out to them. We stand by the families,” said the Chief Minister in her post on X. 

Who was Bitan Adhikary?

Bitan Adhikary was a US-based Indian techie who was working as a Test Manager for Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in Tampa, Florida, United States, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Before joining TCS, Adhikary worked as a Test Lead with Verizon for nearly two years and six months. He also had 12 years of experience working with Cognizant in the United States.

As per the LinkedIn data, he held a Bachelor of Technology in Electrical Engineering from the West Bengal University of Technology in Kolkata.