Pahalgam terror attack: An Assam university professor credited his survival during the April 22 terror attack in Kashmir, Pahalgam, to a desperate act of instinct. He recited the Islamic declaration of faith while staring down the barrel of a terrorist’s gun, according to a report by The Hindu.
Debashish Bhatacharjee, who is head of the Bengali department at Assam University in Silchar, had gone to the Valley along with his wife and son for a long-awaited family vacation. But what was meant as a calm holiday turned out to be a tragic fight for survival.
Gunman spared him after reciting Islamic declaration of faith
The family was enjoying a quiet moment in the Baisaran meadow when gunshots were heard. At first, he thought that the forest guards would have been scaring off animals, but the sound quickly turned into chaos. ”We heard more shots and saw bodies falling around us,” Bhattacharya stated. ”As we ran and hid behind a tree, a man was shot right next to me.” As quoted by The Hindu.
When a militant came and pointed a gun at Bhattacharjee’s head, he saw others nearby reciting La illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah. It is a phrase which asserts the Islamic faith. ”I began murmuring the words, too. The gunman asked me to repeat it louder. I was trembling, but I did,” he added. After a few moments, the attacker turned and went away, and didn’t kill them.
After witnessing the execution-style killings, the Bhattacharjees along with others trekked up the mountains to escape. ”We could still hear the gunfire as we climbed,” Bhattacharjee remembered. A woman from a nearby village came to help in finding transport back to Srinagar. Meanwhile, authorities continue to probe the targeted killings in which a total of 26 lives were lost. The Resistance Front, a Pakistan-based proxy group of Lashkar-e-Taiba, has taken responsibility for the brutal attack.