A peaceful family vacation turned into a blood-soaked nightmare for 41-year-old Bharat Bhushan, a tech professional from Bengaluru, who was shot dead in cold blood by terrorists in front of his wife and three-year-old son in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam. The deadly ambush, believed to have been carried out by the Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy outfit of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed the lives of 26 tourists and left dozens injured in the deadliest attack in Jammu and Kashmir since the 2019 Pulwama bombing.
Bhushan’s wife, Sujatha, a doctor by profession, witnessed the horror unfold as the gunmen allegedly singled out the men among the tourists after asking them a chilling question: “Are you Hindu?” According to Sujatha’s mother, who spoke to reporters from Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, “They didn’t touch the women or children, but the men… they were shot in the head. They kept shooting till they fell. My son-in-law was murdered because of his faith.”
Sujatha immediately picked up her husband’s phone and wallet, grabbed her son, and fled the scene. The Indian Army later secured the area and evacuated survivors, including Sujatha and her child, to safety.
Bhushan had been living in Bengaluru’s Mattikere area and co-managed a family-run diagnostic centre. The trip to Kashmir was intended as a brief family getaway, a memory-making escape that turned tragic.
Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya, who reached out to the grieving family, confirmed the incident on social media. “Her husband was shot dead in cold blood. She and her little boy survived. The local administration is providing all necessary support,” Surya posted on X.
The carnage didn’t end with Bhushan. Another tourist from Karnataka, Manjunath Rao, a realtor from Shivamogga, was also gunned down. He too was on holiday with his wife and son.
Eyewitnesses described the attack as sudden and indiscriminate. “There was no shelter, no cover — just gunfire and screams,” recalled a survivor.
The heavily wooded and open terrain of Baisaran Valley, often called ‘Mini Switzerland’ offered no protection. The attackers, dressed like local security forces, fired relentlessly into crowds of unarmed tourists.
Among the other victims were a newlywed Navy officer, an Intelligence Bureau official shot dead in front of his wife, two foreign nationals from Nepal and the UAE, and two local residents. Helicopters were deployed to airlift the injured from the inaccessible valley, as the Army and police launched an extensive manhunt for the perpetrators.
A photograph of four terrorists believed to be behind the attack has since been released. Two of the suspects are believed to be foreign nationals. While TRF has claimed responsibility, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has yet to release an official statement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi cut short his visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to New Delhi. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also met the victim’s families in Srinagar, he also had a high-level meeting with Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and senior officials.
Security has been heightened across the Kashmir Valley, especially in tourist zones. Intelligence agencies have warned of a renewed strategy by Pakistan-backed groups to disrupt peace and target Hindus visiting the region.
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