'Father shot before my eyes', daughter recounts horror of Pahalgam massacre

Kochi, April 24 (IANS) Aarti, a mother of twin boys, broke down as she recounted the horrifying moment when her father, 68-year-old Ramachandran, was shot dead by a terrorist in Pahalgam, Kashmir, on Tuesday afternoon.

Speaking to reporters at her residence here on Thursday, Aarti recalled the trauma of the killing. The body of her father is lying in a hospital mortuary, awaiting the final rites on Friday.

“We had just reached Pahalgam, often called ‘mini-Switzerland’, and the place was buzzing with tourists,” she said, adding, “Suddenly, I heard what sounded like firecrackers. I asked my father if it could be a terror attack.”

What followed was a nightmare.

“A man with a gun appeared and started firing. I told my father and my sons to lie down in a nearby bushy, fenced area. The gunman approached us and said something we couldn't understand. I asked what he meant, and then he shot my father. I knew he was gone,” she said, breaking into tears.

Aarti said the man, who wasn’t in an army uniform, poked her head with his gun. Her terrified sons began wailing. “Perhaps hearing their cries, the gunman walked away.”

Clutching her father’s lifeless body, Aarti later made her way down the hill with her children. “After about 45 minutes, I got the mobile signal and called my driver,” she said.

"We reached the Hilton hotel, where the staff offered us a free room and full support. I disconnected the TV to shield my mother, who was staying in the hotel, from the news of my father's death.”

Aarti expressed deep gratitude to the locals and authorities who helped her through the ordeal. “I especially want to thank our driver, Muzafir, and his brother. They treated me like a sister. At Srinagar airport, I told them I now have two Kashmiri brothers.”

Aarti, who lives in the Middle East, had taken a short vacation to Kashmir when tragedy struck.

Ramachandran’s body arrived in Kochi on Wednesday night and was received by a Minister, local legislators, and scores of residents. It was then taken to a hospital mortuary.

A former non-resident Indian who had returned from the Middle East five years ago, Ramachandran was a staunch BJP supporter. He had unsuccessfully contested local body polls and was among those shortlisted as a potential BJP candidate for civic elections to be held later this year.

--IANS

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