Woman recalls chilling moments of Pahalgam terror attack: Her father was shot dead for failing to recite Islamic verse, terrorists also cursed PM Modi
According to an eyewitness of the Pahalgam terror assault, which happened on 22nd April, the terrorists cursed Prime Minister Narendra Modi before killing the Hindu tourists. Asavari Jagdale, the 26-year-old daughter of a 54-year-old businessman from Pune, who was also murdered by the assailants, described how they confronted her father, Santosh Jagdale and demanded that he recite an Islamic verse. They shot him in the head, behind the ear and then in the back after he was unable to comply.
The unfortunate family was hiding inside a tent while gunfire and cries for assistance echoed through the popular tourist destination in Pahalgam. According to Asavari, the terror commenced when they heard shots coming from “people who wore clothes similar to those of local police” coming down from a hill. She hurried to a nearby tent with other tourists, accompanied by her father and mother, Pragati. They thought that it was an altercation between the security officers and the attackers. The attackers were firing at an adjacent tent as the sound grew closer.
“We were a group of five people, including my parents. We were in Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam and were at a spot called Mini Switzerland when the firing began. We immediately rushed to a nearby tent for protection. So did six to seven others (tourists). We all lay down on the ground as protection against the firing, which we then assumed was between the terrorists and security personnel,” she recounted the harrowing details.
“Chaudhary, tu bahar aa jaa (Chaudhary, you come outside)” was the next chilling command. The attackers blamed them for backing Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the exchange that followed her father being dragged from the tent. The group was charged with supporting him. They even claimed that Kashmiri militants do not murder women, children or innocent people. “They then asked my father to recite an Islamic verse (probably the Kalma). When he failed to do so, they pumped three bullets into him, one on the head, one behind the ear and another in the back,” she narrated.
The distressed young woman added, “My uncle, who was beside me, was also shot multiple times. Several other men at the spot were gunned down as well. There was nobody to help.” Twenty minutes later, she stated, police and security personnel arrived at the location. Locals and security authorities rescued her, Pragati and the relative from Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley. However, they were unaware whether her father and uncle were still alive.
“The people who took us to the spot on ponies helped us – three women, including myself, my mother and – made the return journey. Later, we underwent medical examination to check for injuries and were then shifted to the Pahalgam Club,” she informed.
Six Maharashtra residents, including her father, were among the 26 persons killed in the terror assault. The other five were Dilip Dosale of Navi Mumbai, Kaustubh Ganbote of Pune, Atul Mane, Sanjay Lele and Hemant Joshi, all from Thane. A couple from Nagpur fled moments before the attack started. They ran with their son and never turned around. The man expressed, “This incident happened when we had just left the place of the incident. We could hear the sound of firing for a long time. Everyone was trying to escape from the place.”
His wife fell and had two fractures, including one to her leg, as dozens attempted to leave through a single gate that was about four feet wide. There was nowhere to hide in the vast, open area for those who couldn’t escape. Attackers opened fire while tourists were enjoying themselves in the Baisaran Valley, sometimes referred to as “mini Switzerland.” The injured were evacuated from the meadow, which was only reachable on foot, by helicopters. Security personnel hurried to the scene after hearing gunshots.
Two foreigners and two locals were among the 26 people killed in the bloodiest attack to hit Jammu and Kashmir since the Pulwama massacre in 2019. The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist organization claimed responsibility.
Prime Minister Narendra cut short his trip to Saudi Arabia and Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Srinagar. He met with key officials, including LG (Lieutenant Governor) Manoj Sinha and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, for a high-level security review.
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