People cherish their special moments so much they capture them on camera, and that’s what tourist Rishi Bhatt from Ahmedabad did while ziplining in India over Pahalgam’s Baisaran meadow on April 22.
Little did he know, he also caught the recent deadly mass shooting in Kashmir that was taking place underneath him and was labeled a terror attack, making the video go viral.
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What the footage showed
Bhatt can be seen smiling while filming himself ziplining across the meadow.
His camera, however, caught several people running on the ground underneath him as gunshots went off while he was on his ziplining course.
The attack took him by surprise
“Firing started when I was ziplining,” Bhatt told ANI News. “After about 20 seconds, I realized that it was a terrorist attack and people on the ground are being killed. I saw 5-6 people getting shot,” he added.
“I unlatched my belt and jumped down, took my wife and son and started running away. We saw people hiding at a spot which was like a pit, so you could not spot someone easily there. We too hid there,” he explained.
Authorities dubbed it a “terror attack”
Authorities confirmed that the attack was launched by militants who object to India’s control over Kashmir.
The New York Times reported that authorities confirmed that the four attackers involved were militants fighting Indian rule.
The shooting was heart-wrenching
Bhatt recalled that the shooting kept going for about 10 minutes before pausing, and then it ensued. “The firing started again and 4-5 people were shot. 15-16 tourists were shot in front of us,” he told ANI News.
Bhatt believed the attack to be a matter of religion as “two families were asked their religion and shot.” The army came to the scene about 20 minutes later.
Authorities took the matter seriously
After the attack, authorities launched a nationwide manhunt for the shooters and they are doing everything they can to catch the culprits.
Militants in the now-Indian-controlled Kashmir have been vocally objecting to New Delhi’s rule since 1989, ABC7 reported.
India’s Prime Minister condemned the attack
“I strongly condemn the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected,” wrote India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on X (formerly Twitter).
