Bengaluru Man Killed in Pahalgam Attack, Shot 42 Times: Family
S Madhusudan Rao from Bengaluru was shot 42 times in Kashmir’s Pahalgam region while vacationing with his wife. Militants opened fire near Baisaran valley.
image for illustrative purpose
A Bengaluru-based software engineer, S Madhusudan Rao, was killed in a militant attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Baisaran valley near Pahalgam on April 22, making him the third tourist from Karnataka to die in a terror-related incident in the region this year.
Rao, 46, originally from Kavali in Andhra Pradesh’s Nellore district, was shot 42 times while his wife, Kamakshi Prasanna, was beside him. According to a family member, the couple attempted to duck the gunfire by lying down, a tactic they learned during their stay in the United States. However, Madhusudan was fatally wounded during the ambush.
The couple's two children — daughter Medha Shree and son Mukund Sreedatta — were at the camp when the shooting occurred. The family had travelled to Kashmir from Bengaluru on April 20 and were planning to return on April 27.
Naidu, Rao’s brother-in-law, told Deccan Herald that Kamakshi found her husband covered in blood after lifting her head moments after the gunfire ceased. He described her condition as “unbearable” in the aftermath of the attack.
Rao was employed with IBM at the Embassy Manyata Business Park in Bengaluru and had a history of frequent professional travel to the US, including secondments lasting up to two years. His wife, Kamakshi, also works in the software sector with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
The Raos had lived in Riches Garden, Ramamurthy Nagar, for more than a decade, moving from a rented accommodation to a triplex home they constructed in the same locality. On Wednesday, the neighborhood remained quiet, with many residents expressing disbelief over the tragic development.
Rekha S, a long-time neighbor originally from Shivamogga district, recalled the Raos as approachable and active in community life. “We interacted often. His death is deeply upsetting,” she told Deccan Herald.
Other residents highlighted Rao’s contributions to the local welfare association and his efforts in arranging summer water supply for the community. His son Mukund was known in the area as a cricket enthusiast, and Madhusudan frequently socialized with Telugu-speaking families in the neighborhood.
Rao is survived by his parents, Kripalu and Padmavathi, who still live in Kavali, and two married sisters. His father ran a local fruit business.
Mortal remains of the deceased are expected to reach Chennai early Thursday morning, following which they will be transported by road to Kavali for the final rites scheduled the same day.
