Kerala to give Rs.1.5 mn to slain Major's family

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 3 (IANS) The Kerala government Wednesday announced a compensation of Rs.1.5 million to the family of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who was killed while battling terrorists in Mumbai.

The government would also give Rs.250,000 compensation each to three other Malayalis who were killed in the terror attack that claimed 183 lives, Chief Minister V.

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S. Achuthanandan said here.

Among the victims were Murugan and his son Anish Prabhu, who was set to leave for Qatar. He had come to Mumbai to appear for a medical examination to get a visa to Qatar.

The duo were shot dead while they were waiting at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Nov 26.

'We have agreed to give Rs.500,000 (to Murugan and Anish), a plot of land and will also build a home for them. Rs.250,000 will be given to Varghese Thomas, an employee at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai who was killed when terrorists attacked the hotel,' Achuthanandan told reporters here after the weekly cabinet meeting.

Achuthanandan, under much pressure from the opposition, earlier Wednesday apologised for his remarks against Major Unnikrishnan's family.

A day after Unnikrishnan's grieving father told Achuthanandan that he was not welcome in his Bangalore house, the chief minister told a TV channel in Malayalam: 'Is there any rule that both the Karnataka and Kerala chief ministers should go together to his home? If not for Sandeep, not even a dog would have looked in the direction of that house.'