Kashmiri trader saves four families from Chhattisgarh during Pahalgam terror attack

RAIPUR: A Kashmiri woollen clothes trader, Nazakat Ali, who visits Chhattisgarh’s Chirmiri town every winter, heroically guided four families from the state to safety after they were caught in a sudden terror attack at the tourist site of Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.

The families, who were on a summer vacation, included three children among the 11 members.

Shivansh Jain, Arvind Agrawal, Happy Wadhawan and Kuldeep Sthapak had left Chirmiri on 18 April and reached Pahalgam on 21 April. They were visiting a tourist spot in the valley when gunmen opened indiscriminate fire on a gathering of tourists.

“Owing to some apparent landslide, there was a traffic jam on the road. Tourists had gathered on both sides of the road. All of a sudden the firing started. Before anyone could realise what’s happening, as the gunshots echoed across Baisaran field, the panicked tourists began running for life and screaming for help,” said Jain, who was an eyewitness to the attack.

He said all four families were safely guided away from the site by Nazakat Ali, who is well known to the Chirmiri residents.

“After reaching Pahalgam, we contacted Nazakat Ali, a local who is familiar with us. We all moved out, accompanying him to visit the tourist spots in and around Pahalgam. When the random firing created a shocking, chaotic situation, Ali acted with prompt sagacity and took us all to safety from the horrifying scene,” said Happy Wadhawan.

Though the families escaped unharmed, anxiety remains among relatives back in Chhattisgarh who are worried for their loved ones still in Kashmir.

In a tragic turn of events, Dinesh Miraniya, a businessman from Raipur’s Samta Colony, succumbed to critical bullet injuries sustained during the firing. He was in Kashmir celebrating his 20th wedding anniversary with his wife Neha and their two children. The anniversary was due on 24 April.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed his deep sorrow over Miraniya’s demise and offered condolences to the bereaved family. Both Governor Ramen Deka and CM Sai strongly condemned the terror attack.