‘They need to be taught a lesson': Pahalgam attack victim's family in Odisha hails Operation Sindoor

Indian Express

07-05-2025

The widow of a Pahalgam attack victim from Odisha on Wednesday hailed India's strike on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and called it a bold step by the Union government.
Prashant Satpathy (43) was among the 26 civilians killed in the terrorist attack in south Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22. His wife Priyadarshani told The Indian Express, 'I thank the Union government for the bold step. The terrorists attacked my husband on a Tuesday, and Operation Sindoor also been started on a Tuesday. I request the government to continue the operation to end of terrorism in the world.'
Prashant, who worked as an accountant with the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology (CIPET), Balasore, was on vacation with his wife and nine-year-old son at Pahalgam on the day of the terror attack. The family is from Remuna in Odisha's Balasore district.
Priyadarshini said that while she will never get back what she lost, she wanted it to be ensured that no one else goes through a similar situation. 'There shouldn't be any fear in the mind of anyone when they are going outside for work or vacation,' she said.
Expressing faith that the government will take the fight against terrorism to a decisive end, she said, 'Pakistan, or whoever has done this, they need to be taught a lesson so that they never dare to do this again. The enemy need to know the reaction to their action.'
On April 22, hours after the attack in Pahalgam, Priyadarshini had spoken to The Indian Express, saying that her husband had received bullet injuries on his head as they were alighting from a ropeway. 'We couldn't understand what happened as my husband was suddenly hit by a bullet. There was chaos all over,' she said.
The attack left 25 tourists and one local man dead.