'I Have A 3-Yr-Old Son': Bharat Bhushan's Plea Before He Was Brutally Shot Dead By Terrorists In Pahalgam Attack

Bengaluru: Bharat Bhushan was among the 26 victims of the brutal terror attack that turned Pahalgam’s Baisaran meadow into a killing ground on April 22. Shot in the head while pleading for his life, not for himself, but for his three-year-old child, Bhushan was one of many tourists who found no escape. His wife, Sujatha Bhushan, watched in horror, clutching their son as the carnage unfolded around them.

'I Have a Child... Please Spare Me'

What was meant to be the final stop of a family vacation turned into a nightmare. "We went for the vacation on April 18… Pahalgam was our last stop," Sujatha told NDTV. The family was enjoying pony rides, trying on traditional Kashmiri outfits, and taking photographs before the attack began around 2:30 PM.

“At first, we thought they were just scaring off animals... but the shots kept coming, and getting closer. That’s when we knew this was an attack,” she further told the publication. Trapped in the middle of the vast field, the Bhushans and others ducked behind tents. From there, they saw terrorists executing people—asking questions, accusing them of being insensitive to the plight of Kashmiri children, and shooting them at point-blank range.

When a gunman reached their tent, Bharat begged him to spare his life for the sake of his son. "He didn’t even speak. He just shot him," Sujatha recalled.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the killings “brutal” and promised retribution, saying, “Such an evil agenda will not be allowed to succeed.” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh echoed this warning and added, “We won’t punish only the monsters… we will also reach those who hid behind a curtain.”