'No place to hide': Wife recalls moment terrorists shot husband in Pahalgam

On a family trip to Pahalgam, Bharat Bhushan was shot dead by terrorists in front of his wife and child. His wife Sujata recounted the harrowing incident, describing the horror of being trapped with no place to hide in the open meadow.

Bengaluru: A family vacation turned into a nightmare when 35-year-old Bharat Bhushan was mercilessly gunned down by terrorists in front of his wife and three-year-old child in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. His grieving wife, Sujata Bhushan, returned to Bengaluru on Wednesday with her husband's body and their young child, recounting the chilling details of the tragedy.

The Bhushan family, like many others, had been on a holiday in Kashmir and were visiting Baisaran in Pahalgam on that day. What began as a joyful day of sightseeing and horse riding turned into a scene of terror and chaos as gunshots shattered the peaceful landscape.

“We went to Kashmir for a vacation on April 18th. Pahalgam was our last stop. That day, we had gone horseback riding to Baisaran. After reaching there, we took some photos, wore traditional Kashmiri attire, and played with our child. Then we heard gunshots,” Sujata recounted, visibly shaken.

As the firing began, the Bhushan family and other tourists and locals ran for cover, but there was nowhere to hide. Most of the tourists were trapped in the middle of a vast green field.

“At first, we thought they were chasing birds or wild animals. But the gunshots continued and grew closer. Then we realised this was no accident; it was a terrorist attack. There wasn’t a single place to hide, not even a ditch to crawl into. Baisaran is just a huge meadow, and we were completely exposed. Wherever we tried to run, the perimeter was still a long way off. So we hid behind one of the tents set up in the field.” Sujata recounted.

The father, mother, and child sat behind the same tent, but they could still see what was happening. People were being dragged out, questioned, and shot.

“A terrorist went to a tent about 100 feet away, brought a man out, seemed to be talking to him, and shot him twice in the head. I couldn’t hear what he was saying. Then he came near our tent, and I heard him say, ‘How can you enjoy your vacation when our children are suffering?" she told the media.

“He then went to an elderly man and said, ‘Haven’t you seen the news? How can you enjoy yourselves like this?’ before shooting him twice in the head. Finally, he came to our tent and approached my husband. My husband begged him to spare his life, saying he has a small son, but the terrorist shot him and walked away,” she recalled, her voice trembling.

According to eyewitnesses, the attack began shortly after 2:30pm. A single gunshot announced the massacre that followed. The terrorists mercilessly killed one person after another in the lush green meadow, turning the beautiful landscape into a graveyard. A defence expert noted that carrying out such an act requires years of rigorous military training.