Pahalgam horror: How reciting Islamic verse 'Kalma' saved a university professor from Assam

The professor said after the terrorists left, he along with his wife and son immediately abandoned the place and walked back.

If heart-wrenching stories narrated, image displayed by the survivors and relatives of deceased in South Kashmir's Pahalgam terror attack wasn't enough to unite a grieving nation, a tale form one of the survivors from Assam indicated the intense indoctrination of these 'five' men who carried out the attack.

A group of terrorists opened fire at Baisaran meadows on Tuesday, killing at least 26 people, mostly tourists from other states, and injuring several others.

An Assam University Professor Debasish Bhattacharya, recounting the horrific attack said reciting Islamic verse 'Kalma' saved his life by a whisker from the terrorists' bullets in Pahalgam where he was holidaying with his family.

Bhattacharya, who teaches Bengali at Silchar's Assam University, was at Baisaran meadows when the gun-totting terrorists started targeting tourists visiting the picturesque spot.

He 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. I just recited the Kalma louder and did not reply to his question. I don't know what happened, he just turned around and left," Bhattacharya told PTI over phone.

The professor said 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 fence," he said.

After walking for about two hours, he met a local man who guided him back to the Pahalgam town. Some of the eyewitnesses have claimed that the victims were asked about their religion before they were shot. The terrorists only targeted men.

Still badly shaken from the ordeal, Bhattacharya said he will not be able to answer any more queries. Meanwhile, the Assam government is making arrangements to bring Bhattacharya's family to his hometown.

"The@CMOfficeAssam has spoken to a survivor from Assam of the dastardly #PahalgamTerrorAttack and has taken a full brief of the incident which they have faced yesterday," the CMO said in a post on X. "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.