STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Residents of Jonali gathered at the residence of slain hotelier Helena Bharali on Wednesday to pay their final respects, as her two young children bid an emotional farewell to their parents in the presence of their grandmother.
Women from the neighbourhood organised a naam prasanga in memory of the deceased, while neighbours and other residents joined the gathering to offer their tributes. Helena was among those killed in the shooting at Hotel Bilas Inn in the Bora Service area on the night of October 26.
The children were accompanied by their grandmother as they paid their respects to their late parents. The family said the children would be taken to their ancestral home in Barpeta on Thursday morning, where the final religious rites would be performed.
The children's maternal uncle, who was the brother of their late mother Rinika, thanked the public and said the family was satisfied with the way justice had been delivered.
"We have received justice in the manner the family wanted, and I thank everyone for that. We have not let the children feel the absence of their parents. We are keeping them busy with games and play for most of the day. Whenever they ask about their mother and father, we try to distract them with other talk so that they forget for a while," he said.
He added that the family would travel to Barpeta the following morning to perform the customary rituals for the departed. The family would then discuss the children's future living arrangements.
"After that, we will sit down together and decide where the children will live in the coming days. As per the discussion among family members, they may be taken to Manipur," he said.
The uncle clarified that no final decision had been taken and that the family would discuss the matter in Barpeta after completing the religious rites.