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Indian Express
26-04-2025
- Indian Express
Pahalgam terror attack: How Islamic verse ‘Kalma' recital helped Hindu professor at Assam University survive: ‘Feels like second life'
Death was just a bullet away from Debasish Bhattacharya, an Assam University professor Bhattacharya who was on a six-day Kashmir tour with his family, on the fateful day when terrorists gunned down tourists in Pahalgam on April 22. Born to a Hindu Brahmin family, Bhattacharya, while recounting the spine-chilling story of survival, told The Indian Express that he recited Islamic verse 'Kalma' as he saw four terrorists gun down (Hindu) men in front of his eyes. 'Our Kashmiri tour was from April 21 to April 26, and we were to stay at Pahalgam for a day. On that day, we entered the arena called Mini Switzerland from the back side. Not many people were there on that side. We were all very relaxed. My wife was looking at some shawls while my son was walking around and I took some photos. Suddenly, I heard gunshots and asked the local photographer about it. He said shots are fired by the forest people to scare away monkeys,' said Bhattacharya, the head of the Bengali Department of Assam University. Bhattacharya recalled that more gunshots were heard and his son saw one of the terrorists ask something to a tourist and then shoot him. 'Quickly, we all ran towards a tree and lay down. Another couple with a child came there for shelter. A terrorist came there and asked the husband something that was inaudible to us. Then I saw the man shoot him dead in front of my eyes,' said the professor. Bhattacharya said that after the murder, the terrorist quietly walked up to the group and asked the professor, 'Kya bol rahe ho?' (What are you saying?) 'At that moment everyone was chanting 'La ilaha illallah'. I also started chanting that verse, even though no sound was coming out of my mouth, out of fear. I do not know what the terrorist felt, but he walked away. But then again, the terrorist returned from the opposite side, took a round, and then walked away. When the terrorist was 20 metres away, we all crossed the fence and ran for our lives and wandered for two hours in the mountains, not getting any signal,' Bhattacharya recounted. Bhattacharya mentioned that with no mobile network and having no idea from where the terrorists would emerge from the mountains, they followed the horses' footprints and reached a village. 'Much to our relief, we were able to contact our local driver, and a local resident took us to safety. A family from Chhattisgarh was also with us had got separated from the group. Luckily, their child and the other members of that family were with us and we quickly descended and came back to Srinagar. It's like a new life to me I faced death right in the face.' This was the family's first visit to Kashmir, but Bhattacharya does not know if he will visit the Valley again. But he says his son Drobadeep Bhattacharya would visit the place in the future.
Mint
24-04-2025
- Mint
Pahalgam terror attack: How a Hindu Brahmin survived by reciting Kalima, the Islamic prayer; ‘When I started...'
Debasish Bhattacharya, a Hindu Brahmin, narrowly escaped the terrorists' bullets during the deadly Pahalgam terror attack by reciting the Islamic 'Kalima', a declaration of faith that forms the core beliefs of Muslims. Bhattacharya, a Bengali professor at Assam University in Silchar, was on holiday with his family in Jammu and Kashmir. Just 20 minutes into their visit to the Baisaran meadows, the Brahmin heard a gunshot, which he initially assumed was fired by the forest department to scare away wild animals. 'We were just enjoying the view when I heard a gunshot. When I inquired about it, I was told it might be from the forest department to scare away wild animals,' Bhattacharya told NDTV over a telephonic interview. However, he soon saw a man with a gun who shot a tourist after a brief conversation with the couple. Soon, four gun-totting terrorists started targeting tourists visiting the picturesque spot. Bhattacharya said the people around him crouched on the ground and started reciting the 'Kalma', a declaration of faith that forms the core beliefs of Muslims. 'So I also followed them. A terrorist walked up to us and shot the man next to me. Then he looked at me and asked what I was doing,' Bhattacharya said. 'Kya bol raha hai,' asked the terrorist in Hindi. Terrified Bhattacharya said he started reciting the Kalma louder, 'and did not reply to his question'. 'I don't know what happened; he just turned around and left to join his group on the other side,' he shared. Emphasising that it wasn't just the Kalima that saved his life, the professor said he followed what everyone else was doing in an 'absolutely instantaneous, heard mentality' way. The professor said that after the terrorists left, he, along with his wife and son, immediately abandoned the place and walked back. 'I somehow managed to escape by crossing the 7-foot high fence,' he said, adding that they walked following the hoof marks of the horse. Bhattacharya told NDTV that locals helped them throughout. 'Our horse guide (pony riders_ came searching for us. They came back for us. They found us, and took us back.' He shared that the driver of the cab they had hailed for coming to the Baisaran meadows rushed them back to their hotel in Srinagar. Bhattacharya, who shared that his family's trip was to end on Saturday, said the Assam government is making arrangements to bring him and his family back to their hometown. The Assam Chief Minister's Office (CMO) also posted an update about the same on Twitter (now X). It said: 'The CM Office Assam has spoken to a survivor from Assam of the dastardly Pahalgam Terror Attack and has taken a full brief of the incident which they have faced yesterday.' 'The entire family's return to the state is being arranged on priority, and the government of Assam is in touch with the government of India to bring the family back to Assam at the earliest,' it added. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma also said his office is in touch with Bhattacharya. 'We will ensure his safe return to Assam soon.' A group of terrorists opened fire at Baisaran meadows, killing at least 26 people, mostly tourists from other states, and injuring several others.
Mint
24-04-2025
- Mint
Pahalgam terror attack: How a Hindu Brahmin survived by reciting Kalma, the Islamic prayer, ‘When I started...'
Debasish Bhattacharya, a Hindu Brahmin, was saved by a whisker from the terrorists' bullets during the deadly Pahalgam terror attack by reciting the Islamic verse 'Kalma'. Bhattacharya, a Bengali Professor at Silchar's Assam University, was holidaying with his family in Jammu and Kashmir. Just 20 minutes into their visit to the Baisaran meadows, the Brahmin heard a gunshot, which he initially thought was from the forest department to keep wild animals away. 'We were just enjoying the view when I heard a gunshot. When I inquired about it, I was told it might be from the forest department to scare away wild animals,' Bhattacharya told NDTV over a telephonic interview. However, he soon saw a man with a gun who shot a tourist after a brief conversation with the couple. Soon, four gun-totting terrorists started targeting tourists visiting the picturesque spot. Bhattacharya said the people around him crouched on the ground and started reciting the 'Kalma', a declaration of faith that forms the core beliefs of Muslims. "So I also followed them. A terrorist walked up to us and shot the man next to me. Then he looked at me and asked what I was doing," Bhattacharya said. 'Kya bol raha hai,' asked the terrorist in Hindi. Terrified Bhattacharya said he started reciting the Kalma louder, 'and did not reply to his question'. 'I don't know what happened; he just turned around and left to join his group on the other side,' he shared. Emphasising that it wasn't just the Kalma that saved his life, the professor said he followed what everyone else was doing in an 'absolutely instantaneous, heard mentality' way. The professor said that after the terrorists left, he, along with his wife and son, immediately abandoned the place and walked back. 'I somehow managed to escape by crossing the 7-foot high fence,' he said, adding that they walked following the hoof marks of the horse. Bhattacharya told NDTV that locals helped them throughout. 'Our horse guide (pony riders_ came searching for us. They came back for us. They found us, and took us back.' He shared that the driver of the cab they had hailed for coming to the Baisaran meadows rushed them back to their hotel in Srinagar. Bhattacharya, who shared that his family's trip was to end on Saturday, said the Assam government is making arrangements to bring him and his family back to their hometown. The Assam Chief Minister's Office (CMO) also posted an update about the same on Twitter (now X). It said: 'The CM Office Assam has spoken to a survivor from Assam of the dastardly Pahalgam Terror Attack and has taken a full brief of the incident which they have faced yesterday.' 'The entire family's return to the state is being arranged on priority and the government of Assam is in touch with the govt of India to bring the family back to Assam at the earliest,' it added. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma also said his office is in touch with Bhattacharya. 'We will ensure his safe return to Assam soon.' A group of terrorists opened fire at Baisaran meadows, killing at least 26 people, mostly tourists from other states, and injuring several others. Some of the eyewitnesses have claimed that the victims were asked about their religion before they were shot. The terrorists only targeted men. First Published: 24 Apr 2025, 12:05 PM IST
