Kochi: The daughter of N Ramachandran, the Kochi native killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, on Thursday said her Kashmiri drivers, Musafir and Sameer, treated her like a sister and stood by her in the most harrowing moments of her life.

Arathi R Menon, who survived the attack along with her mother and eight-year-old twin sons, recounted the horror a day after her father's mortal remains were brought back to their hometown.

“Musafir and Sameer stood by my side like brothers. They took me to the mortuary for identification and stayed with me till 3 am. When the identification didn’t happen that night, they picked me up again at 6 am,” Arathi said.
“At the airport, I told them I had gained two brothers from Kashmir, and that Allah would bless them,” she added.

Arathi said both government officials and local people in Kashmir extended immense support. “A hotel even allowed us to stay, although we hadn't checked in there,” she said.

Her father, Ramachandran, was among the 26 people shot dead by terrorists at a meadow in Baisaran near Pahalgam on Tuesday.

A Gulf returnee, Ramachandran lived in Edappally with his wife and daughter. His body was flown to Kochi by 8 pm on Wednesday and taken to the mortuary of a private hospital.

The mortal remains will be kept for public homage at Changampuzha Park on Friday from 7.30 am to 9.30 am. Final rituals will follow at his residence, and the cremation will take place at Edappally at 11 am.