Delhi resident who survived Reasi attack recalls horror

Along with his wife and two kids – a two-year-old son and a five-year-old daughter, Shankar Bhawani took their first-ever trip to Vaishno Devi

The sounds of indiscriminate firings, screams of fellow bus passengers, and the feeling of encountering death up close are still fresh on Shankar Bhawani’s mind. The 35-year-old resident of Tughlakabad Extension in Delhi was on a bus en route to Katra from Shiv Khouri, a pilgrimage spot, on June 9 when terrorists fired indiscriminately at the vehicle carrying nearly 50 people at Reasi in Jammu and Kashmir. Nine people, including a two-year-old child, were killed and 42 people sustained injuries.

Nine people, including a two-year-old child, were killed and 42 people sustained injuries in the attack. (PTI)

“I ducked and my two children were leaning over me. My wife covered them and all three of them were bleeding. I will never forget the sight,” Bhawani, a private car driver, said in a quivering voice.

Along with his wife and two kids – a two-year-old son and a five-year-old daughter, Bhawani took their first-ever trip to Vaishno Devi and left on the evening of June 6 by Shakti Express.

Speaking to HT over the phone from a hospital in Katra, he said that they all left for Shiv Khouri around 8am on June 9 after completing their visit to Vaishno Devi on June 7.

The bus carrying pilgrims from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, left Shiv Khouri around 5.30pm for Katra and about 30-40 minutes into the four-hour journey, the terrorists opened fire at the bus in Reasi district.

“People siting next to the driver told us that the first casualty was the driver himself. The terrorist shot him from the front. Passengers said that there was only one man in the front and about two to three others were hiding in the mountains and shooting from there,” Bhawani said.

Deputy inspector general of police in Udhampur, Rayees Mohammad Bhat, on Monday, said that as per their initial information gathered from eyewitnesses and footprints from the area, there were possibly two to three terrorists who were involved in this attack.

Bhawani recalled the mayhem after the driver was shot dead and the bus lost control. “The bus rolled at least four times before hitting the gorge and people shouted and cried. We sandwiched our kids between us. If we had parted, we may not have survived,” he said.

He recalled that he had thought that it was the end of their lives when he heard about 20-25 rounds of fire within 15 seconds. I didn’t see anything because we had ducked, but I could hear the firing, he said.

After rolling down into the gorge, a few people tried to exit the bus, but the terrorists fired two rounds again, scaring the pilgrims further.

“For the next 20-25 minutes, we stayed inside fearing that terrorists were still out there to kill us, but then we slowly went out and called for help,” he said.

Shocked and angry at a few bystanders, Bhawani said that some people recorded videos instead of making an effort to help them. “Then a few locals came down to offer help. Within 10-15 minutes, police, ambulance and army reached the spot to rescue us,” he said.

He said that his children, who are in the hospital, are still traumatised. “My son told me that he will return home on foot and not take any train or bus. What do I tell him?” Bhawani said, adding that he plans to never go for any vacation ever again.