‘Terrorists cursed Modi’: Daughter recalls chilling moments before father was shot in Pahalgam

In the wake of one of the deadliest terror attacks in Kashmir in recent years, a chilling account has emerged from a survivor who said the attackers, who targeted tourists in Pahalgam on Tuesday, cursed Prime Minister Narendra Modi before shooting the victims.

Asavari Jagdale, a 26-year-old daughter of a Pune-based businessman, said terrorists asked Santosh Jagdale, 54, to recite an Islamic verse. When he couldn't, they shot him thrice: once in the head, then behind the ear and then his back, news agency PTI reported.

The woman, who was on a family vacation in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley -often called “Mini Switzerland” - went on to reveal the horrific nature of the attack on her father and uncle.

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"We were a group of five people, including my parents. We were in Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam and were at a spot called Mini Switzerland when the firing began," Asavari Jagdale told PTI in a telephonic interview five hours after the shooting.

"We immediately rushed to a nearby tent for protection. So did six to seven others (tourists). We all lay down on the ground as protection against the firing, which we then assumed was between the terrorists and security personnel," Asavari said.

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The woman then said a group of terrorists came to a nearby tent and opened fire before they approached them.

"Then they came to our tent and asked my father to come out," she said.

“They said ‘Chaudhari tu bahar aa ja’,” Asavari said.

Then the terrorists blamed them for supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after which they made some statements to deny that Kashmiri militants kill innocent people, women and children, she said.

Hiding in a tent with her family and others, Asavari watched in horror as the gunmen singled out her father, Santosh Jagdale.

"They then asked my father to recite an Islamic verse (probably the Kalma). When he failed to do so, they pumped three bullets into him, one on the head, one behind the ear and another in the back," a distressed Asavari told PTI.

"My uncle was next to me. The terrorists then fired four to five bullets into him. They shot several other males who were on the spot. There was nobody to help," she said.

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She, her mother, and another female relative were spared — possibly due to the attackers’ claims that they do not target women.

"The people who took us to the spot on ponies helped us – three women, including myself, my mother and – make the return journey. Later, we underwent medical examination to check for injuries and were then shifted to the Pahalgam Club.

Asavari said she does not know if her father and uncle are alive or among the dead.

Pahalgam terror attack: 26 tourists killed

At least 26 tourists have been killed after unidentified gunmen opened fire on innocent civilians in Pahalgam's Baisaran in Jammu and Kashmir.

Gunshots were heard in the area, following which security forces rushed there.

Meanwhile, Union home minister Amit Shah reached Srinagar and held a high-level security review meeting with top officials, including Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah and LG Manoj Sinha.