BENGALURU: “My husband begged the terrorists to spare him, not for himself, but for our three-year-old son. But his requests fell on deaf ears. They asked us how can we celebrate when they are suffering and shot him,” Bharat Bhushan’s wife, Dr Sujatha told TNIE.
The family had gone on a trip to Kashmir from Bengaluru on April 18. Recalling the day of the attack, she said, “We went to Pahalgam early on Tuesday morning. From there, we reached a large meadow called Baisaran, surrounded by pine trees. It looked like a mini Switzerland. There were several tents where tourists could dress in traditional Kashmiri attire and take photos. Around 1.30 pm, we decided to return as it was getting late and we were hungry.”
However, the peaceful atmosphere quickly turned chaotic, she said. “We suddenly heard gunshots. At first, we thought it was the sound of firecrackers or something to scare away wild animals. But as the sound of gunfire intensified, we realised it was an attack. We ran toward a tent to hide,” she said.
Narrating the terrifying moments before her husband’s death, Sujatha said, “Just about 500 metres away from us, there was another couple. A man was shot dead there. Moments later, the terrorist was behind my husband. Bharat kept telling me, ‘Don’t worry. Stay calm.’ He was trying to protect us.”
“He said, ‘I have a child, please don’t shoot,’ and even showed our son. But the terrorist shot him in the head twice. My husband fell to the ground in front of us,” she said, breaking into tears. She added that she heard the terrorist saying, “How can you celebrate when we are suffering? You came here to enjoy.”
“The terrorist didn’t ask where we were from or what religion we belonged to. He just shot my husband,” Sujatha said. “After he fell, I took the documents and mobile phone from his pocket and ran. Shooting was still going on around us. I saw other bodies lying on the ground.” She also noted that she saw three terrorists, who had spread out across the area and one of them approached their direction. “There was heavy security in Pahalgam town, but no security presence in Baisaran, which is on a hilltop.”