Who was Bitan Adhikari? US-based TCS techie killed in Pahalgam terror attack

Bitan Adhikari, a 40-year-old engineer employed with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in the US, was among the 26 tourists killed in the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

Originally from West Bengal, Bitan had returned to India last month on a summer holiday with his wife, Sohini (37), and their three-year-old son, Hridaan.

The family was holidaying in the scenic Baisaran meadows, often called ‘Mini Switzerland’, when armed militants approached and asked for their religious identities.

Bitan was shot dead on the spot in front of his wife and child, who survived. The attack, one of the deadliest in the region in recent years, was claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the Pakistan-backed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Bitan was the sole breadwinner for his elderly parents, and his sudden loss has devastated the family. He had been living in Florida and working as a Test Manager with TCS, having previously held positions at Verizon and Cognizant. With over 15 years of experience in UI/API automation and functional testing, he was respected in the tech community.

His wife, in a heart-wrenching account to The Telegraph India, recalled the horror of the attack and their planned return to the US, scheduled just days later. Bitan’s body is now being brought back to Kolkata, where the family will lay him to rest.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her condolences, stating, “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.”

India Responds

In response to the attack, India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty and shut down the Attari-Wagah border checkpost with immediate effect, signalling a strong diplomatic stance against Pakistan.