'After what we saw, I can never trust going there again': Cuttack father-son duo hid under discarded rags, escape Pahalgam attack

CUTTACK: A family of four from Cuttack miraculously survived the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam when they were visiting Baisaran Valley during a wedding anniversary celebration.
Ranjit Kumar Bhola (69) and his son Sandeep (35) escaped death by hiding under discarded rags, while their wives, Sashi Kumari Nayak (65) and Lelina Subhadarshini (33), were spared by the terrorists during the assault.
"We were clicking pictures when we heard the first shot. Initially, we didn't understand, but then came the screams and more gunfire," recalled Ranjit. He saw 14 bodies lying around them, with three victims shot dead merely five feet from their hiding place.

During their desperate escape through rough terrain, Sashi Kumari suffered fractures on her wrist and leg. The family noted the absence of police or army personnel nearby.
"The Kashmiri people we met were kind, but after what we saw, I can never trust going there again," said Sandeep, who is still traumatised by the incident. The family returned to Cuttack on April 26.
Pahalgam attack
Twenty-six people, mostly tourists, were killed on April 22 in a terrorist attack in the Baisaran Valley area of Pahalgam, in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district. Among the victims were two foreigners and two locals, a senior official said without providing further details.
One Indian Navy officer, Lieutenant Vinay Narwal (26), posted in Kochi, was among those killed in the Pahalgam attack while he was on leave.
A native of Haryana, Narwal had gotten married just days earlier, on April 16, defence officials said. Gunshots were reportedly heard in the Baisaran Valley — a popular tourist destination often called "mini-Switzerland" — prompting the swift deployment of security forces to the area.