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India
Professor Debashish Bhattacharya, who teaches Bengali at Assam University in Silchar, had taken his family on a holiday to Jammu and Kashmir.
On Tuesday, April 22, while visiting the scenic Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam—popularly known as “Mini Switzerland”—the trip took a terrifying turn. While surrounded by hundreds of fellow tourists, they heard a gunshot ring out.
Initially, they believed it was a forest department official firing to drive away animals. But that illusion was quickly shattered.
Face-to-Face With Terror
“We saw a man with a gun walking nearby. He was masked, dressed in black, and talking to a couple. Moments later, he shot the man in front of him,” Bhattacharya told a leading news channel. In shock, the professor and several others ducked under a tree, hoping to stay hidden.
Then, a horrifying moment unfolded—another man lying close to them was shot by the gunman.
Chanting Kalima Out of Instinct
Amid the panic and screams, Bhattacharya joined others around him in reciting the ‘kalima’—a declaration of Islamic faith—despite not knowing its significance.
“Everyone was chanting it, and so did I. The attacker pointed the gun at me, heard me say ‘la illaha…’ and moved on. I just repeated what the others were saying—perhaps out of herd mentality,” he recalled. He believes this might have saved his life. Bhattacharya also reported seeing four armed attackers firing in different directions.
Narrow Escape Through the Forest
After the gunman left their area, Bhattacharya and his family made a daring escape. They climbed over a seven-foot-high fence and followed horse trails. Along the way, a local family guided them to safety. Eventually, their tour guide found them, and their driver transported them back to Srinagar.
Bhattacharya shared that the Assam Chief Minister’s office has reached out and is assisting in getting his family safely out of Jammu and Kashmir. The traumatic experience has left them shaken but grateful to have survived.
