 "Bhushan was shot in the head in front of his wife Dr Sujatha and their 3-year-old son in Pahalgam terror attack. Image courtesy: News18")
Bharath Bhushan, a 35-year-old techie from Bengaluru, was on a holiday with his wife and toddler in Kashmir’s Pahalgam. What was meant to be a peaceful family getaway turned into a scene of horror.
The family was strolling through the picturesque Baisaran valley , a spot often filled with the chatter of tourists, when terrorists began spraying bullets. With nowhere to run in th vast meadow, the family was confronted by the attackers.
They asked Bharath to hand the child to his wife, then demanded his name.
To this, the techie replied “Bharath", after which the terrorists asked about his religion. “Hindu,” he said.
That simple answer was enough. Without a moment’s pause, the terrorists shot him in the head, right in front of his wife and three-year-old child.
The Bengaluru techie was among the 26 victims killed in the barbaric attack that has shocked the nation. Here’s a closer look at his story.
‘Hid behind tents, terrorists didn’t listen to pleas’
Bharath’s wife, Dr Sujatha Bhushan, a paediatrician at Ramaiah Hospital in Bengaluru, shared a chilling recollection of the terror that unfolded in Baisaran Valley.
“We went for the vacation on April 18. Pahalgam was our last stop… we went up to Baisaran that day on pony rides and, when we reached, we took photographs and played with our child. We tried out Kashmiri costumes… then suddenly we heard lots of shots…,” she told NDTV.
As panic set in, tourists and locals scrambled for safety, but there was nowhere to go. The family, along with others, was caught in the middle of Baisaran’s wide-open meadow.
“You know how Baisaran is… it is a large field and we were right in the middle. Anywhere we tried to run, it is quite a far distance to the perimeter. So we started hiding behind tents, the Kashmiri tents, set up in the middle of field,” Sujatha said.
The family huddled behind one such tent. But from their hiding spot, they could still see the horror unfolding.
“One terrorist went to a tent about 100 feet away… he took a man out, seemed to talk to him, and shot him in the head. He did it twice more… I couldn’t hear what he was saying. But then, near our tent, I could hear, ‘How can you enjoy vacation when our children are suffering?’”
Moments later, the same terrorist reached the Bhushans’ tent.
“He came to my husband… My husband was requesting him, ‘I have a child… please spare me’. But he just shot him and left…”
Amidst the chaos and horror, Sujatha realised her husband had been killed, she grabbed his mobile phone and purse and fled the scene. She managed to contact her mother around 2:45 pm on Tuesday.
Shortly after, the Indian Army reached the area and moved her to safety, Bharath’s mother-in-law told The Times of India.
Meanwhile, the techie’s father said he came to know about his son’s death on Wednesday morning.
“I read about it in a Kannada newspaper during my morning walk. My legs gave way. I didn’t know what to do. My family had kept it a secret from me and my wife,” he told the publication.
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah pay respects at funeral
Bharath’s body was flown to Bengaluru in the early hours of Thursday. His remains arrived at the city airport around 4 am, where Union Minister of State for Railways, V Somanna, was present to receive them.
As per Deccan Herald, Bharath’s body was kept for public homage until 3 pm at his residence, after which the cremation was held at Hebbal crematorium.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, along with Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, also arrived to pay final respects.
“I offer my shraddhanjali on behalf of the state government and 7 crore Kannadigas. He died at a young age. He completed his BE and an MBA from SDM College, Mysuru. His father was a retired DDPI officer… This was an inhumane act, and I strongly condemn it. Terrorists and terror outfits must not be in our country," Siddaramaiah said.
He also called for strong central action to eradicate terrorism. “Destroy all terrorists,” he urged, assuring the state’s full support in the matter. The Chief Minister further announced financial aid of Rs 10 lakh to the families of the deceased.
In addition, Siddaramaiah said he had directed a team of officials, led by Labour Minister Santosh Lad, to assist and bring back the Karnataka tourists currently stranded in Srinagar.
Centre vows revenge for Pahalgam attacks
In the wake of the horrifying terror strike in Pahalgam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday issued a strong message of resolve, vowing that those behind the attack will not be spared.
Speaking from Bihar during a public address, PM Modi said, “Today from the soil of Bihar, I want to say to the whole world in clear words that India will identify, trace and punish every terrorist and their supporters, conspirators. We’ll pursue them to the end of the Earth. They will be punished beyond their imagination.”
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh echoed the sentiment with a sharp warning aimed at the attackers and their enablers.
“We won’t punish only the monsters who carried out this act of brutality and barbarianism. We will also reach those who hid behind a curtain to carry out this conspiracy,” he said.
In response to intelligence reports pointing to Pakistan-based terror groups as being responsible for the Pahalgam massacre, the Indian government has begun taking tough diplomatic steps.
Among the first moves: downgrading diplomatic relations with Pakistan, suspending the over-six-decade-old Indus Water Treaty, and revoking visas granted to Pakistani nationals. Security agencies have been put on high alert.
With input from agencies