Ponywala dies a hero, tried to grab rifle from attacker before being shot

On Tuesday morning, 28-year-old, a ponywala from the remote Hapatnar area of Pahalgam, left home as usual, telling his father he would return by evening. But by nightfall, his father Syed Haider received devastating news — Adil was among the 26 people killed in the terror attack at Baisaran meadows.

Adil, the only local resident among the victims, was shot after he confronted the attackers, asking them why they were killing innocent tourists, his family said.

His younger brother, Syed Naushad, recounted what he learnt from a woman survivor at Srinagar hospital: “She told me that when Adil saw the father of a woman tourist get shot, he confronted the attackers and said, ‘Why are you killing innocents?’ The attackers then fired at him too.”

Adil, who routinely left for Baisaran every morning, was the sole breadwinner for his family — a wife, parents, two brothers and three sisters.

“My son died trying to save tourists. We are shattered,” Haider told The Tribune at their home on Wednesday. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah attended Adil’s funeral, hailing his bravery in standing up to the armed assailants.

According to Omar, Adil had even attempted to snatch a rifle from one of the terrorists, which led to him being targeted and killed. He assured the family that the government would support them: “We are with them and will help them as much as we can.” Adil was laid to rest at the ancestral graveyard in his village, where hundreds of mourners gathered to bid him a tearful farewell and salute his sacrifice.

The villagers also voiced concern about the future of their tourism-dependent economy. “Many families here rely on tourism. This attack has hit us all very hard,” Mohammed Rayees said, adding, “We are praying that the situation normalises soon.”

J & K