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A video captured by these pony handlers shows the shooting, but when asked if they could see the faces of the terrorists, the answer was negative
Security personnel stand guard after a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, J&K. (PTI Photo)
“Omar…take cover! Hide behind that tree!” In a now-viral video, two male voices are heard shouting even as gunshots ring in the air. In the distance, terrorists are seen shooting indiscriminately. The video captured the horror of Pahalgam live as it unfolded on April 22.
CNN-News18 caught up with Jangir and Taufiq (names changed), the pony handlers who were witnesses to the meadow mayhem.
The duo were reluctant to reveal their real names, fearing police harassment or reprisal from terrorists who are still at large.
Jangir said April 22 was a normal day for him until the afternoon, when all hell broke loose.
“We had gone with 17 tourists on 17 horses on April 22. They were all enjoying themselves when suddenly shots rang out. There was absolute chaos. People ran helter-skelter. Suddenly, the entire meadow looked empty,” he said, adding that when he finally located his customers, his only thought was to help them escape down the trail and reach the safety of Pahalgam.
Jangir’s friend and fellow pony handler Taufiq too had a similar experience. “When the first shot rang in the air, we thought tourists must be enjoying fireworks. Then I saw one tourist fall. That is when I realised this was a gunshot.”
The video captured by these pony handlers shows the shooting, but when asked if they could see the faces of the terrorists, the answer was negative. “I didn’t see the terrorists, but we did see the bodies fall one by one. That is when I told my friend, Omar, to take cover,” said Taufiq.
Jangir, trying to hold back tears, said that images from that day still haunt him. “Our friend Omar was recording everything on his phone. My only concern was that he might be hit. So in my language, I was only telling him to take cover and lie down. All of us are traumatised. It is a moment of shame for us. Everything changed in a moment. I wish I could do something to change things,” he said.
Fellow villager Ashiq Hussain Wani has one regret. “I wish Omar had a better phone. Then he would have captured the faces of the gunmen… we could have zoomed in and seen who these people were. But alas, this video only caught them from a distance,” he said.