"Asked to recite kalma," says son of N Ramachandran who was killed by terrorists in Pahalgam terror attack

Kochi (Kerala) [India], April 25 (ANI): Aravind, son of N Ramachandran, who was killed by terrorists in the Pahalgam terror attack, said that the terrorist asked them to recite the 'kalma', but when he failed to do so they instantly shot his father in the head.
"My parents, sister, and her 8-year-old twin sons travelled to Kashmir on 21 April. On 22 April, my sister called to tell me that there had been a terror attack in which my father had been killed in front of my sister and her children. They heard gunshots while on a horse ride, and jumped off their horses to try to escape. They crawled through a fence, thinking they were safe on the other side. But that's when they encountered a terrorist asking them to kneel," Aravind told reporters on Thursday.
"He asked them to recite the 'kalma'. Since my father didn't understand what he was being asked, the terrorist instantly shot my father in the head, and he died on the spot. My sister lay on top of my father's body, thinking he was alive. The terrorist pointed his gun at my sister, but then he left. They escaped by crawling in the dirt through the forest. They reached a resort, and that's when the army secured them," he added.
Arathi, an eyewitness and daughter of N Ramachandran, a victim of the Pahalgam attack, mentioned that people had started running when they heard the gunshots, and there was chaos.
"On hearing a gunshot, I asked my father what that sound was. He said he wasn't sure. As we heard more gunshots, we started to run. We saw other people also running. It was a chaos overall. Suddenly, we saw a man coming with a gun. There were two to three groups beside us. We saw the man asking the group something, and then he was shooting at them. At this, I panicked, and I told my father that the man was coming towards us. My father was calm, and he said Let's see what happens. The man came towards us and said, 'Kalma.' When we said we didn't understand what he was saying, the man shot my father," Arathi said.
On Thursday, Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly and Congress Leader, VD Satheesan, along with Kerala BJP Chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar and other leaders, paid their last respects to N Ramachandran, who was killed in the Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22.
A wreath-laying ceremony was held in Kerala's Kochi for the deceased. Family, relatives and close friends of the victim attended the solemn ceremony.
Following the incident, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed deep grief over the loss and directed the Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA) Roots to set up a help desk for Malayalis currently in Jammu and Kashmir.
The incident has sparked nationwide outrage, with widespread protests erupting across the country, demanding stricter action against Pakistan over the Pahalgam attack. (ANI)