IB Officer Killed in Pahalgam Attack Had Planned Vaishno Devi Trip with Parents After Holiday

Ranchi, April 24 – Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Manish Ranjan, who was among the 26 people killed in the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, had planned to take his parents to Vaishno Devi after returning from the holiday, according to one of his close friends.

As per agency report, Sanjeev Kumar Gupta, a childhood friend of Ranjan, was present at Ranchi Airport on Thursday to receive the officer’s mortal remains. He described Ranjan as a brilliant student and a devoted son. Ranjan’s father had recently retired as principal of the Hindi High School in Jhalda, located in West Bengal’s Purulia district, where the family hails from.

Ranjan was serving as a Section Officer with the Intelligence Bureau in Hyderabad and had travelled to Kashmir for a holiday when the attack occurred. His friend Aditya Sharma, also present at the airport, expressed shock and grief, saying they never imagined such a tragedy would happen. He added that while terrorism has no religion, many innocent people were targeted brutally for theirs.

The attack, which took place on Tuesday at the scenic tourist site of Pahalgam, left 26 people dead, including two foreign nationals. The victims were primarily tourists.

At Ranchi Airport, BJP’s Jharkhand unit president Babulal Marandi and several senior administrative officials paid their tributes to the fallen officer. Speaking to the media, Marandi condemned the incident, stating that killing innocent civilians on religious grounds was an unforgivable act. He assured that the government would ensure that the perpetrators and masterminds behind the attack are brought to justice without exception.