Total chaos, people ran helter-skelter': Nagpur family reveals after close brush with death in Pahalgam terror attack

Mumbai: Just a few minutes separated us from death, said the Rupchandani family from Nagpur, who had a close shave during Pahalgam meadows tourists massacre. “There was total chaos and people ran helter-skelter to save their lives,” they said. 

“It was just a matter of a few minutes,” said Tilak Roopchandani, who along with his wife Simran and their son Garv, had gone as tourists to the Kashmir valley. 

In the melee, Simran sustained two fractures in her leg and had to be hospitalised in a government hospital in Anantnag. 

The Rupchandanis are residents of Dayanand Park in Jaripatka in Nagpur city.

“People who heard gunshots altered us…’firing ho rahi hai’…there were several hundred tourists…people started running down the meadows…there was total chaos. There was a stampede-like situation…in the chaos, I hurt my leg,” Simran said, adding that her husband and son held her and rescued to safety. 

“We were coming down from the Baisaran Valley, the Mini Switzerland, when the firing took place. After that people started coming down. The exit gate was just around four feet, very very narrow…I was jammed with people who were coming down and going out,” said Tilak. 

"Everyone was trying to escape, and we didn't look back; we just wanted to get away from there,” said Garv.

In Nagpur, Tilak’s mother said that her son, his wife and grandson left on 16 April for their trip. “We saw on TV…we could not establish contact as mobile phones were not accessible,” she said, adding that should come back home as early as possible. 

Family friend Bhagwan Nimgade said that strict action must be taken. “It is shocking…the perpetrators should not be spared,” he said.