Mumbai-‘You have created terror here’, a terrorist started firing indiscriminately on tourists in Besaran, Jammu and Kashmir. Despite repeated pleas to save their lives, the families survived in the massacre described Pahalgam’s magnitude after returning to their homes in Dombivali on Thursday. Dombivali’s three cousins Sanjay Lele, Hemant Joshi, Atul Mone were among the 26 people killed in a fierce terrorist attack in Pahalgam on Tuesday 22 April.
Relatives of the deceased told how a beautiful day became the worst day of his life. Wearing brown clothes, covered faces and putting a Gopro camera on the head, terrorists entered the picturesque grasslands of Besaran and made him soaked in blood.
“Their number was about four,” said Herschel Lele. Harsha’s father Sanjay Lele and two uncles were killed in this attack.
‘I looked at two, but with the voice of their activities and their steps I came to know that they were more. He had a beard and was wearing brown clothes. Harshal said, “However, I cannot say whether he wore uniform or not.”
On 22 April, Harshal Lele, who traveled to Pahalgam with his family, recalled that important moment of his life in a trembling voice, “My hand was on my father’s head.” Then suddenly I felt something wet. When I saw him, his head was soaked with blood and he was shot. At first, the sound of firing was like a fuse burst of light bulb. Then a voice came from nearby. Local people warned us but by then it was too late.
Anushka Mone, wife of Atul Mone, a victim of the terrorists, told how her husband was killed while trying to convince the attackers. We reached Basaron at around 1:00 or 1:30. it was a beautiful day. We suddenly heard the sound of bullets, but then we thought that there was some adventure activity going on nearby.
The gunmen wanted to know who is Hindu in the group and who is Muslim. He asked us three to four times. Nobody answered us. My husband came forward and said, ‘Why are you shooting us?’ Anushka said, “We did nothing, yet they shot him.” When another relative raised his hand and said that he was a Hindu, he was also killed.
The terrorist said, “You have created terror here.” Then he said, ‘We are tourists.’ We are a family, what terror has we spread? Then the terrorists opened fire on the frightened crowd.
Harshal Lele told how his uncle Atul Mone was asked to separate from his wife and relatives. ‘He refused. Then we hugged. The terrorist shot him in his stomach.
The deceased Hemant Joshi tried to plead with the attackers. He said, “We have not done anything, let us go.” But the terrorists also shot him.
Local people helped the survivors in the firing. There was no security system at the scene. This area was open. There were hundreds of tourists there. I went ahead with my mother on the back. Then we got help from a pony ride operator. He offered me to sit on the horse. We lasted for four hours between mud and hills. My mother’s leg was partially paralyzed. We reached the hospital at around six in the evening. Harshal Lele said, “Three members of my family are killed in firing.” The Lele family took refuge in the house of his family friend, who is an IPS officer. The next morning at seven o’clock Herschel Lele was called to identify the body. He was later taken to a meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
In response to the question asked about the expectations of the family, he said that terrorists can be anywhere. Do not leave them. On seeing it, order the shooting. I do not know what else to say.
The victims are now demanding justice. The government should take action, we were ordinary tourists. We went to see nature. Anushka Monal had said that she would not become a victim of terrorism. Richa Mone, a daughter studying in class 12, told that she questioned Sanjay Uncle and shot him in her head. I was just behind them at that time. Anushka Monet’s brother probably survived because his wife was wearing green bangles. Due to which the terrorists must have considered him a Muslim. We had no chance to run away. If we had tried to escape, they would have killed more people. So we sat quietly and sat down.
The survivors in the attack told that they were scared overnight, as the army and police personnel brought them down a few hours later. There were helicopters there. But they were very few. There should have been better security arrangements at such a big tourist destination. There was no one on the hill above, so we sat on the Pahalgam base till 9.30 pm. The condition of many people was worse. A woman with two children fainted due to fear. Anushka Monaye said, “There was complete chaos.”
The post we were common tourists, we went to see nature, not to become a victim of terrorism – Atul Mone’s wife first appeared on News India Live | Breaking India News, The Indian Headline, India Express News, Fast India News.
