'Once They Realised We Were Christians...': Pune Survivor Says Pahalgam Terrorists Didn't Stop At Religion
Jennifer Nathaniel recalls the Pahalgam terror attack where her husband Sushil was killed. Terrorists interrogated victims about religion and Palestine, she said
Jennifer, the wife of Indore’s Sushil Nathaniel, who was killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, vividly recalls the harrowing scene when her husband was shot. She revealed that the terrorists involved in the attack were interrogating their victims before killing them, asking about their religion and insisting they recite the Kalma, and also questioning them about Palestine. Sushil was also subjected to the same questions.
According to her harrowing account, the armed terrorists, were more than just killers. They were interrogators. “They were asking people their religion, asking them to recite the Kalma, and even questioning them about Palestine," she said.
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Jennifer described the chilling atmosphere at the time, with strong winds rustling through the trees. The echoes of gunshots still resonate in her ears, and the piercing cold had numbed her body.
She helplessly watched as her husband was confronted by the terrorists. When they learned he was a Christian and began questioning him about Palestine, they opened fire.
When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was her husband, leaning against a tree, his hair drenched in blood, which was trickling down his shoulder. She noticed a worm crawling on his skin. “He was leaning against a tree. His hair was drenched in blood. Blood flowed down his shoulder, and… a worm was crawling on his skin," she said, her voice breaking. “I wanted to scream, to run to him… but I couldn’t move. The cold had numbed my limbs. I couldn’t even speak," she stated.
At that moment, Jennifer thought she would die too. As the terrorists moved among the fallen, checking for signs of life, she instinctively closed her eyes and held her breath. “One of them kicked me hard, trying to see if I was alive. But I didn’t move. I stayed still," she said. When they eventually moved on, she dared to open her eyes slightly. What she saw next is something she says will haunt her forever.
“A little girl was lying lifeless by a tree nearby. Another man was right behind my husband. He was dead too," she recounted.
She tried once more to reach Sushil, she said, but her body betrayed her. It was then she realised something that brought a flicker of warmth to the chilling memory. “I was covered with a sweater. It was his sweater," she said.
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