Pahalgam Attack Witness On How They Escaped, But Friend, 70, Was Killed

JC Chandra Mouli, a retired bank employee from Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam who was killed in the Pahalgam terror attack this week, was on a birthday trip with his friends and family to Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr Mouli, who turned 70 on April 18, had encouraged his friends to visit the Baisaran meadow, calling it a "once in a lifetime opportunity", his friend, Mr Sasidhar, who accompanied him to the Union Territory, told NDTV.

Mr Mouli was among 26 people who were killed when terrorists opened fire at tourists in Baisaran, dubbed "mini Switzerland", on Tuesday. 

"He planned the entire tour," Mr Sasidhar said of Mr Mouli, who led three couples on the holiday trip.

He said that one has to pass through a difficult terrain to reach the Baisaran meadow, which is located about 6 km from Pahalgam town and is known for jaw-dropping views of the Himalayas and the Valley's signature pine forests.

"So, we all went there on six horses. On the way, the women in our group were fed up with the torturous journey. But, he (Mr Mouli) encouraged us to go there, saying it was 'once in a lifetime opportunity'. So, we went there," Mr Sasidhar said.

"After reaching there, we all immediately went to the washrooms. When we came out, we heard gunshots from far away woods. We thought that some people were hunting, but we heard three to four shots again. We also heard some women screaming and saw some people lying on the grounds," he recalled. 

Mr Sasidhar, a witness to one of the worst attacks in Jammu and Kashmir in recent times, said he then saw a man shooting at people. 

"Then we thought that there was an attack, and we should escape. All six of us hid behind the toilets," he said.

Mr Sasidhar said they then saw a terrorist walking towards them and rushed to escape the meadow. 

He said they couldn't escape immediately as there was fencing around the ground where they were hiding.

"We then saw there was a gap between the fencing and the ground. So we slid through the fencing one by one," he said.

Mr Sasidhar said they then crossed a small water stream and climbed up the hill, but later found out that a terrorist had followed them.

"When he came there, he fired three to four bullets and went towards the ladies. He saw them and left. So, we thought that he did not do anything, but we did not know that he had shot dead Mr Mouli," he said.