Bengaluru techie pleaded for mercy, saying he had young child. But they shot him thrice: Wife recalls Pahalgam terror attack

BENGALURU: Dr Sujatha, the wife of Bengaluru-based techie Bharath Bhushan who was killed in Tuesday's Pahalgam terror attack, said even as they saw the terrorists go on a shooting spree and sensed danger, her husband tried to comfort her, saying: "Don't worry, don't worry ... stay strong."
The terrorist did not show any mercy despite Bhushan pointing out that he was the father of a young child, she said.

Recounting the brutal attack, Sujatha said she was near the tent, checking out a traditional Kashmiri outfit when one of the terrorists, after gunning down a tourist, walked up and asked: "How is it that you are happy here while our children are being killed, and we are suffering? Don't you read the news about us?"
He then killed another tourist, before turning the gun on Sujatha's husband and asking him his name. "My name is Bharath," he said, only to be shot in the head.
"We had reached Kashmir on April 18, and on the last day of our trip, April 22, we visited Pahalgam. We went to Baisaran on horseback, about 3-4 km from Pahalgam. There was a tent in the meadow, where one could try out traditional Kashmiri attire and take photographs," she added.
As Sujatha went near the tent to check out the dresses, she heard loud gunshots.
"At first, we thought the gunfire was to scare away birds or animals, but as the intensity increased, we sensed something serious. My husband, along with my son and I, hid behind the tent," Sujatha recounted.
"From our hiding spot, we heard one of the terrorists ask an elderly man in Hindi: ‘How can you be happy here when our children are dying there? How can you play with your kids and smile here?'" In reply, the man said: ‘What should I do? How can I help?' Without even replying, the terrorist shot at him, pushed him down, pumping some more bullets into him."
Later, the terrorist walked up to the tent where Sujatha's family was hiding. Bhushan was the one carrying his son. He pleaded with the terrorist to spare them, but he told Bharath to hand over the child to his wife and shot him thrice in the head.
Bhushan was later cremated with state honours at the Hebbal electric crematorium.
‘I ran with my child'
"After shooting my husband, the terrorist went away. I immediately rushed to my husband and took his wallet. We had a BSNL postpaid phone, and on a bench were our bags. So, I grabbed those and ran," Sujatha narrated.
"Being a doctor, I knew he won't survive after he was shot in the head. I kept running and kept looking back to see if anyone was following us. There were so many dead bodies all around. As I came down the hill, I saw many people milling around. I climbed on to a horse with my son and the bags and from thereon, the CRPF took care of us," she said.