Jammu: A tourist who was on a zipline ride in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22 shared his harrowing experience of the terror attack that unfolded at Baisaran meadow. Rishi Bhatt, the tourist, said he narrowly escaped because he was mid-air on the zipline when the terrorists opened fire.
Bhatt added that just moments before the attack, the zipline operator said “Allahu Akbar” (God is the greatest) and moved his head from side to side, immediately after which the firing began.
According to a reports, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken the zipline operator in for questioning.
“When I took the zipline, one person said Allahu Akbar and moved his head left and right and then the firing started from those sides,” Bhatt was quoted as saying by News18.
Eyewitnesses have claimed that terrorists checked the religion of tourists before executing them during the attack in Pahalgam. According to them, the attackers asked the men to recite the ‘kalma’ — a formal declaration of faith — and shot those who failed to do so. The tragic incident unfolded on April 22, when terrorists opened fire at Baisaran, a popular tourist destination in the upper reaches of Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district, killing 26 people, most of them holidaymakers from other states.
A newly surfaced video shows a tourist, Rishi Bhatt, recording his zipline ride over Baisaran meadow as chaos erupted below. In the footage, some tourists can be seen running frantically on the ground, apparently fleeing the gunfire. Suspended at a significant height, Bhatt appeared unaware of the unfolding attack, even as gunshots echoed in the background.
The 53-second clip begins with the zipline operator chanting “Allahu Akbar” (God is the greatest) before launching Bhatt on the ride. Initially, the scene appears calm, but moments later, people are seen scattering in panic. At the time of the attack, over 100 tourists were present in the meadow, and one was seen falling while attempting to escape.
