“Everyone froze when a terrorist began shooting. He asked everyone to lay down. He approached us and said a word, which sounded like ‘kalma’, twice. When we said we didn't understand, he shot my father. When I hugged him, the terrorist poked the gun on my head. I don’t know whether it was to shoot or scare me. He walked away when my twin sons screamed,” recounted Aarti R Menon, daughter of Kochi native N Ramachandran, who was one among the 26 killed in the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Kashmir on April 22.
Kalmas are a set of six Islamic prayers sacred to Muslims and one of them involves declaration of faith.
The family met with the tragedy during a trekking trip to Pahalgam's Baisaran Valley on Monday. Ramachandran was accompanied by Aarti and her two sons and wife Sheela, but she was not with them when the attack happened. Realising that her father died on spot, Aarti ran for almost one hour with her two sons till she got signal coverage for her mobile phone and sought help from her taxi driver Musaffir, a Kashmiri man.
Speaking to media on Thursday, hours after bringing Ramachandran’s mortal remains to Kochi, Aarti said they all tried to flee after realising that it was a terror attack. “We reached there by around 2.10pm. The attack happened within 10 minutes. The man who attacked us was in plain clothes,” she said.
'Got two brothers from Kashmir’
Aarti said that two Kashmiri taxi drivers – Mussafir and Samir – took care of her like her brothers during the tragedy. “I had to wait in front of the mortuary till 3am and later return again at 6am. During this time, they accompanied me like their own sister. At the airport, I told them that I got two brothers from Kashmir. I also told them that Allah would save them,”Aarti told the media.
Ramachandran’s wife Sheela was informed about the death only after their arrival in Kochi. A BJP supporter, Ramachandran had contested the Ernakulam District Council election in 1992.
Ramachandran’s mortal remains will be kept in state for public homage at Changampuzha park in Edapally from 7.30am to 9.30am on Friday. The cremation will be held at Santhikavadam at 12 noon.
l be kept in state for public homage at Changampuzha park in Edapally from 7.30am to 9.30am on Friday. The cremation will be held at Santhikavadam at 12 noon.
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