'Kill them on the spot’: Anguished families of Pahalgam attack victims demand swift justice

A day after 26 people, mostly tourists, were gunned down by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, the families of the victims have demanded harsh punishment for the perpetrators of the dastardly act.

Bhagwan Das, the uncle of Neeraj Udhwani, who perished in the attack, said terrorists should be killed on the spot, irrespective of their religion or caste.

"He died in the terrorist attack. His wife was also there; she is safe. They had gone there for a holiday...We demand from the government that the accused be killed...I say that the terrorist, irrespective of religion or caste, should be killed on the spot," he told ANI.

Rajshree Akul, the sister-in-law of the Pahalgam terror attack victim Atul Mone, also demanded that the government impose severe punishment on the terrorists without delay.

"We got to know that he (Atul Mone) was killed in the attack. He was shot in the stomach. We request from the government that the terrorists should get severe punishment without delay," she said.

Also read: Pahalgam terrorist attack: These are the suspects in the deadly strike that killed 26

The terrorists also shot dead Sushil Nathaniel (58), who had gone to Jammu and Kashmir with his wife, daughter and son to celebrate Easter.

His cousin Sanjay Kumrawat told PTI, "We have spoken to Sushil Nathaniel's wife and son over the phone. They told us that terrorists asked Sushil's name and forced him to kneel, they then asked him to recite the Kalma (phrase articulating Islamic faith). When Sushil said that he could not recite Kalma, the terrorists shot him.''

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He demanded strict action against the culprits.

"The strictest action should be taken against the terrorists who killed 26 innocent people by carrying out the cowardly attack in Kashmir so that it sets an example for the whole world," Kumrawat said.

Eliminate the terrorists

Another relative of Nathaniel, Gemma Vikas, said the LIC officer killed in the terror attack had gone to Kashmir with his family on the occasion of Easter. She said the terrorists should eliminated immediately.

"Nothing is more saddening than the fact that the happiness of tourists who went on a festive trip turned into mourning. We want the government to hunt down and eliminate the terrorists immediately," she said.