BENGALURU: India is still not out from the shock over the Pahalagam attack, that took 26 innocent lives. In the meantime, a family from Karnataka recalled how they managed to escape from the terrorists by sheer luck.
Pradeep Hegde, his wife Shubha Hegde, and son Siddhant reached Srinagar on April 21. They walked to Baisaran meadows in Pahalgam the next morning. The family reached the top of the hill on three horses. It took about an hour to reach the place due to strong rain and slippery roads. In Pahalgam, it is usual for horsemen to drop tourists in the meadows and then return after a few hours to take them down the hill.
Pradeep Hegde:
“The place was flooding with tourists as we couldn’t even find somewhere spacious. We spent an hour there taking pictures and so on. There were some stalls there. Around 1:30 pm, we decided to go for the adventurous games. But our son yelled about being hungry.
Despite promising him to buy food on the way back, he insisted on having it then and we relented. In the meantime, my wife went to the toilet. It was 500 meters away. She returned and we three had a quick meal.
I heard the first gunshot while drinking tea at the shop. I didn’t realize it was a bullet. I thought it was a firecracker being set off to scare away animals. The shopkeeper also held my view. After about 20 seconds, I saw two men with big guns. They were firing non-stop. At first, we didn’t understand what was happening. Then we too were lying on the ground.
At this time, my wife was at the table trying to pick up her bag. When she got up to pick up her bag, she felt something go by her right ear. It was a bullet,” Pradeep shared.
“Something razed past my hair and it was a bullet that hit straight to the walls. I didn’t reveal the same to my husband, to not leave him shocked.” Said Shubha Hegde.