'My name is Bharath and I am a Hindu': Pahalgam terrorists shot Bengaluru techie in head in front of wife, son

“My name is Bharath,” said 35-year-old techie Bharath Bhushan from Bengaluru, when armed terrorists asked for his name in Pahalgam on Tuesday. That moment of pride turned into a tragedy, as they shot him in the head on the spot — right in front of his wife, Dr Sujatha, a paediatrician at Ramaiah Hospital, and their three-year-old son.

Bhushan was carrying his son, while Sujatha stood nearby when terrorists confronted him. They asked him to hand over the child to her. Then they asked him his name. When he said ‘Bharath Bhushan', they asked if he was Hindu or Muslim. When he replied ‘Hindu', they shot him dead.

Back in Bengaluru, sorrow filled Bharath’s home in Sundarnagar, Mathikere. His 74-year-old father, Chennaveerappa, came to know about his son’s death only on Wednesday morning. TOI quoted his as saying: "I read about it in a Kannada newspaper during my morning walk. My legs gave way. I didn't know what to do. My family had kept it a secret from me and my wife."

Hours before he was gunned down, Bharath had called his father from Kashmir and showed them the beautiful views and told them they were heading to Pahalgam.

By 3.30pm on Tuesday, news of the attack began trickling in. Friends told Chennaveerappa that several people had died, the report said.

"I was curious and asked my elder daughter-in-law to switch on the TV, but there was no signal. I asked her to fix it so I could watch the news, but she said her husband — my elder son Preetham — would do it later. The internet also wasn't working, so I stopped worrying. She knew everything but didn't tell me. I understand her pain," he was further quoted.

Around 7pm, Preetham told the family that Bharath was injured and that he was flying to Kashmir to bring him back.

"Sujatha's brother also went. They said it wasn't serious, and they'd bring him home. The flight was originally scheduled to leave at 11am, but they finally flew out at 2am," Chennaveerappa said.

Chennaverappa's wife, 72-year-old Shylakumari, grew uneasy and began praying. "But look what God did to our prayers," he said.

"I named him after the yesteryear Hindi actor Bharat Bhushan and King Bharat, who gave this land the name Bharat."