‘Our religion is in danger because of Hindus, cursed Modi, made to recite Islamic verse’

SRINAGAR: Santosh Jagdale, a businessman from Pune, was one of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack that shook the country. Santosh and his family had taken shelter in a tent when the terrorists arrived. However, the terrorists asked them to come out, said Santosh's daughter Asavari.

‘We were a group of five people, including my parents. We were in the Baisaran valley near Pahalgam. The terrorists asked us to come out of the tent. When we came out, the terrorists asked my father to recite an Islamic verse. When he failed to do so, they shot thrice, one on the head, one behind the ear and another in the back. The gunmen then turned to my uncle who was nearby. They shot him several times from behind.

The terrorists specially targeted men after asking whether they were Hindus or Muslims. No one was there to help. The police or the army did not arrive for 20 minutes after the incident. Even the locals present there were reciting verses from the Quran, said Asavari.

The terrorists said their religion was in danger because of Hindus and cursed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Asavari said. ‘The terrorists attacked only men. It was similar to what happened in the Mumbai terror attacks. They were wearing local police uniforms and had printed masks similar to those worn by soldiers,’ she added.

Asavari, her mother and a female relative were rescued by locals and security forces. Meantime, the death toll in the terror attack is reported to be 29. Tight security has been imposed in places including Pahalgam.