(MENAFN- IANS) Kolkata, July 21 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday paid tribute to the families of Bitan Adhikari, a victim of the Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir, and Havildar Jhantu Ali Sheikh, a soldier from Bengal killed during a counter-terror operation in the Valley, at the Trinamool Congress's annual Martyrs' Day rally in Kolkata.

Banerjee was joined on stage by the parents of Adhikari and Sheikh's father, as they made their way to the rally. The Chief Minister warmly welcomed them and ensured they were seated on the dais as a mark of respect.

Both Adhikari and Sheikh hailed from West Bengal, and their deaths have added emotional weight to Banerjee's ongoing fight against the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking people in BJP-ruled states. It is expected that Banerjee will address these concerns more pointedly later in her speech.

Bitan Adhikari, a 40-year-old engineer working for Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in the United States, was among the 26 people killed in the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. A native of Kolkata, Adhikari had returned to India in March and was on a summer holiday with his wife and three-year-old son when tragedy struck.

Havildar Jhantu Ali Sheikh, a commando with the elite 6 Para Special Forces of the Indian Army, lost his life in a counter-terror operation in Kashmir's Udhampur district, just days after the Pahalgam attack. Sheikh's ancestral home is in Nadia district.

This year's Martyrs' Day rally holds additional significance, as it is the last major event before the crucial Assembly elections next year. The two key speakers at the event were Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the party's General Secretary, Abhishek Banerjee.

As hinted by Mamata Banerjee on Sunday, her address is likely to focus primarily on the issue of alleged mistreatment of Bengali-speaking individuals in BJP-governed states.

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