BENGALURU: Days after the alleged murder of Capt Naveen Chandra Bhat and Dr Shyamala Bhat, their son and prime accused Rohan Chandra Bhat, was escorted by police to the Wilson Garden crematorium Saturday evening to attend their final rites.Acting on permission granted by a special court, police brought Rohan from Nimhans, where he has been undergoing treatment, to the crematorium to perform the rituals in accordance with family traditions. The bodies of the couple were brought to the crematorium around 5pm. Their daughter, Rashmi Bhat, 31, who had flown in from the United States, joined close relatives for the last rites.

As friends and family gathered to bid farewell to the couple, grief at the venue was mingled with disbelief, the tragedy still too overwhelming to fully comprehend. Inside the crematorium hall, silence prevailed as the bodies were placed side by side. Rashmi stepped forward to perform the rituals, holding herself together despite visible anguish. Under tight security, a handcuffed Rohan was brought in briefly to see his parents one last time. He displayed no visible emotion — no tears, no sign of distress — and appeared detached from the proceedings.

Following the priest’s instructions, he performed the arathi with a police officer standing beside him and offered prayers. As observed, Rohan spent less than five minutes inside before being led away without looking back.Rashmi stood at a distance, watching her brother perform the rituals. A family member said Rohan and Rashmi were rarely seen at extended family gatherings. Those present at the crematorium remembered the couple as quiet, dignified individuals who largely kept to themselves and lived without drawing attention. Amid hushed conversations, one question echoed repeatedly among relatives and friends: why did this happen?In her statement to investigators, Rashmi said her brother had been undergoing treatment for schizophrenia. “My parents, particularly my mother, tried their best to get him treated. Because of his mood swings and unusual behaviour, I stopped speaking to him two years ago. But I never imagined he would go to this extent,” she is said to have told police.After arriving from the US, Rashmi approached a Bengaluru court seeking permission for her brother to perform the last rites. Following approval granted Saturday morning, police coordinated his escorted visit to the crematorium.She also outlined his academic background: “After completing his pre-university course (Science) at Jain College, he joined New Horizon College of Engineering in Marathahalli. In 2019, he moved to the United States, where he completed a master’s degree in Advanced Applied Artificial Intelligence Technology. He returned to India in 2022,” she said.