Pahalgam terror attack: Eyewitnesses recount horror; say 'initially mistook terrorist for security personnel'

Hyderabad: For three couples, who are in their 60s from Visakhapatam, their trip to Jammu and Kashmir was to end on Wednesday after the darshan of Matha Vaishno Devi in Katra. But their trip ended in tragedy as one of them J S Chandramouli, 62, a retired bank employee was killed by the terrorists in Pahalgam on Tuesday.

It was on April 18, Chandramouli's birthday, that they started on a tour to Kashmir. He assured a party to his friends upon his return from the trip.

Fellow travelers Sridhar and Sumitra Devi, who accompanied Chandramouli and his wife Nagamani, recounted the harrowing attack, expressing disbelief at having survived the ordeal that claimed their friend's life.

Mouli's mortal remains reached Visakhapatnam on Tuesday night. Final rites are expected to be held on Friday.

"We arrived at the spot on ponies and went to use the toilets," Sridhar recalled. "Initially, when we heard gunshots from far, we thought someone was hunting birds. Then we heard women screaming and suspected something was wrong. We took shelter behind the toilets for some time, but realized we weren't safe there and immediately crossed a fence into the dense forest."

He continued, "All of us tried to hide behind trees. While the rest of us managed to run deeper into the forest, Mouli couldn't keep up and tried to hide behind one of the trees. From a short distance, I watched an armed man approaching Mouli and ordering him to kneel. I saw some hand movements and then understood he had been shot. If that man had walked a little further, he would have killed me too. It feels like I went to death's door but came back alive. I'm deeply saddened about Mouli's death."

Sridhar noted the absence of police or security forces in the area and the lack of resistance allowed the terrorists to kill indiscriminately.

Sumitra Devi, Sridhar's wife, initially mistook the terrorist for security personnel because of his army uniform. "At first, we thought he was a local police officer or security personnel coming to help us. Only when he came close and ordered Chandramouli to kneel did we realise he was a terrorist. He was frail but carried a very large gun. The women were spared. We watched helplessly as Mouli fell after being shot."

She added, "Later, locals helped us come down from the valley. They were very helpful. I was completely shocked and couldn't come to terms with what had happened for a long time. We managed to keep the news of Mouli's death from his wife Nagamani until we reached Delhi. When she finally learned what happened, she was inconsolable."