Cuttack family who survived Pahalgam attack gives statement to NIA

Cuttack: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Tuesday recorded the statements of a Cuttack-based family who survived the Pahalgam attack, officials said.

A three-member team of the NIA met the family of Ranjit Bhol (69), who, along with his wife Sashi Kumari Nayak (65), younger son Sandeep (35) and daughter-in-law Lelina Subhadarshini (33), were in Baisaran in Pahalgam April 22 when the attack happened, they said.

The investigators spent two hours at their residence in Deuli Sahi in Tulasipur.

The NIA had April 26 recorded the statement of Priya Darshani Achariya, the wife of Prashant Satpathy, who was among the 26 people killed in the attack.

The Bhol family had told multiple news channels Sunday that they witnessed the killing of three tourists by terrorists.

“They killed three people within a distance of 5 feet to 10 feet from me,” said Sashi Kumari, who had gone to Kashmir to celebrate the third wedding anniversary of her son.

She had fractured her left hand and right leg while attempting to run from the gunfire.

“Lord Jagannath and Sai Baba saved me and my family,” she said.

Her son, Sandeep, claimed that he had to kneel in front of the terrorists and recite the ‘kalma’ to save himself.

“However, I was all along thinking about Lord Hanuman. Though I used to wear a locket having a photo of Lord Hanuman, that day I had missed it. Probably, that was the wish of the lord, because of which I could escape such a major tragedy,” he said.

“I have seen terrorists killing people from close quarters,” Sandeep said, recounting that he had asked his mother to remove the ‘bindi’ from her forehead.

His father, Ranjit, said that those who died received bullet wounds either on the head or the chest.

“The incident took place only 15 minutes after we reached the spot. We had clicked pictures before hearing the gunshots,” he said.

Ranjit said the security personnel rescued his injured wife and took her to the hospital to treat her.

“Though they wanted us to stay in the hospital, we lied to the doctor that the injury did not happen at the site of the attack,” he said, noting that they were in a hurry to leave Kashmir.

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