'Tell this to Modi’: Pahalgam attack survivor reveals what terrorists told her after killing husband
Counter terrorism operations have been launched in the area in response to the attack that officials believe killed at least 26 and injured many
A woman survivor of the Pahalgam terror attack recounted chilling moments of the massacre and said that the attacker killed her husband but left her alive to send a message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Go tell this to Modi,” the woman quoted the attacker as saying.
26 people, mostly tourists, died and over 20 were injured after unidentified gunmen opened fire on civilians in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam area of Anantnag district on Tuesday.
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The woman's husband, Manjunath Rao (47), who hailed from Karnataka's Shivamogga, was reportedly killed in the attack while he was on vacation in the area. The man had travelled to Kashmir with his wife and his son.
“Three of us – me, my husband and our son – had gone to Kashmir. It happened around 1.30 pm, I think. We were at Pahalgam. He died on the spot, in front of my eyes. It still feels like a bad dream,” Pallavi told India Today.
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She also said that local civilians rushed to help those injured. People reportedly rushed their ponies to the site of the attack to rescue victims before authorities formally began rescue operations.
Recalling the attack, Pallavi said, “Three to four people attacked us. I told them – kill me too, you’ve already killed my husband. One of them said, I won’t kill you. Go tell this to Modi.”
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Reacting to the attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X, “I strongly condemn the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected.”
“Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice...they will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable, and it will get even stronger,” he added.
The Resistance Front (TRF)—a shadow outfit linked to the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)—claimed responsibility for the attack. According to officials cited in a PTI report, it is suspected that the attackers may have infiltrated from Kishtwar in Jammu and made their way to Baisaran via Kokernag in South Kashmir.
