Chandra Mouli’s Killing: Survivors Recall Harrowing Ordeal in Pahalgam

Visakhapatnam: A leisurely vacation of three friends and their families from Visakhapatnam turned tragic when terrorists attacked tourists in Pahalgam, resulting in 26 casualties. Among those killed is Chandramouli, a retired bank employee from Vizag.

Chandra Mouli's brother Kumar Raja recalled that the three families, those of Chandra Mouli and his friends Appanna and Shashidhar, reached Kashmir on April 18. They stayed in Srinagar and travelled by car to Pahalgam on the day of the attack.

Chandra Mouli had gone to use the restroom. While returning, he encountered gunfire. While others managed to escape, Chandra Mouli had a heart condition and couldn’t flee quickly enough.

Sumitra Devi, Chandra Mouli’s friend Shashidhar's wife, talking to this correspondent, said the tourist site in Pahalgam had two separate areas—one with food stalls and the other restrooms. “The terrorists first attacked the food counter. At that time, we had headed toward the toilets,” recalled Sumitra.

"Suddenly, we heard gunshots and immediately hid inside the bathrooms. About 100 of the tourists took shelter there. When we saw someone approaching, we escaped through a small opening in the fence. Chandra Mouli actually helped me squeeze through the fence, and then we started running,” Sumitra said.

As they fled after passing through the fencing, the group split—one ran in one direction, while Chandra Mouli ran in the opposite direction, attempting to conceal himself behind a tree. A terrorist approached the tree where Chandra Mouli had been hiding, ordered him to sit down.

Sumitra’s husband Shashidhar, said the attacker had been wearing an olive green outfit with a head covering. "He asked Mouli to sit down and then shot him." Chandra Mouli suffered fatal gunshot wounds to the face, causing severe disfigurement. Witnesses said they heard 5–6 gunshots.

Sumitra described an interaction between the terrorists and a navy officer's wife. When the woman reportedly asked them to kill her too, they allegedly responded, "We won't kill women and children. You all voted for BJP, so you deserve this."

Another Chandra Mouli’s friend Appanna noted security lapses in the area but praised local Kashmiris: "The people in Kashmir are good—they're the reason we made it back safely. After everything happened and we tried to descend the hill, local people brought horses and helped us reach the bottom. There's unnecessary propaganda about Muslims. But Kashmiri Muslims helped us. However, security was definitely lacking in the area."

The eyewitnesses said the attackers wore military uniforms, causing confusion among tourists.