‘We thought gunshots were to scare birds’: How Bengaluru techie Bharath Bhushan’s wife escaped Pahalgam terror attack | Bengaluru News

BENGALURU: Dr. Sujatha, the wife of Bengaluru-based techie Bharath Bhushan, who was killed in the attack, shared how her husband tried to comfort her amid the chaos. Despite hearing gunshots and sensing the imminent danger, Bharath repeatedly reassured her, saying, “Don’t worry, don’t worry… stay strong.”
However, even after explaining that he was a father of a young child, the terrorist showed no mercy and shot him in the head.
Sujatha recounted the brutal moments when the family was near a tent, checking out traditional Kashmiri attire. Gunshots erupted, initially mistaken for something harmless, but soon it became clear they were in the middle of a shooting spree.
As they hid behind the tent, they overheard one of the terrorists ask an elderly man in Hindi, “How can you be happy here when our children are dying there? How can you play with your kids and smile here?” When the man responded, “What should I do? How can I help?” the terrorist coldly shot him.
The terrorist then approached the tent where Sujatha and her family were hiding. Bharath, holding their son, pleaded for their lives. The terrorist, however, ordered Bharath to hand over the child to Sujatha before shooting him three times in the head. Bharath’s body was later flown to Bengaluru, where it was honored with a state funeral.
After witnessing her husband’s death, Sujatha, knowing he wouldn’t survive, quickly grabbed their belongings and fled the scene. “Being a doctor, I knew he wouldn’t survive after he was shot in the head. I kept running, constantly looking back to see if anyone was following us. The area was filled with dead bodies,” she recalled.
Sujatha managed to reach safety with her son, assisted by the CRPF, who ensured their protection as they made their way down the hill.
“I ran with my 3-year-old child,” Sujatha said, recalling: “After shooting my husband, the terrorist went away. I immediately rushed to my husband and took his wallet. We had a BSNL postpaid phone, and on a bench were our bags. So, I grabbed those and ran.”