‘Removed bindis, started chanting Allahu Akbar before terrorists’

Pune: A Pune-based woman, whose husband was killed by terrorists in Pahalgam, on Thursday recounted how she and other women in the group quickly removed bindis from their foreheads and began chanting “Allahu Akbar” when they saw the attackers asking men to recite ‘azaan’.

But the frantic attempts to hide their religious identity failed to help as the gun-wielding terrorists did not spare the woman’s husband and his friend, who was also from Pune. Sangita Ganbote, the wife of Kaustubh Ganbote who was among the 26 persons killed by terrorists at Baisaran near Pahalgam on Tuesday, also said that when a local Muslim man confronted the attackers and asked why they were killing innocent people, they stripped him and shot him dead.

Ganbote recounted her harrowing experience to NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar during his visit to the bereaved family members where he paid homage to the departed soul.

Apart from Kaustubh Ganbote, his childhood friend Santosh Jagdale lost his life in the terror attack. The two families were travelling together when the group of four armed terrorists stopped them at Baisaran and began asking questions related to religion to them.“The terrorists were insisting everyone to recite ‘azaan’ (Islamic call for prayer). All women in the group started reciting it, but still they killed our men. One local person, who was also a Muslim, confronted the four terrorists and asked why they were killing innocent people. He was also stripped of and shot,” said Ganbote as she could not hold back her tears.