Cuttack: A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday questioned a family from Odisha's Cuttack who narrowly escaped the terrorist attack in south Kashmir's Pahalgam.
As per reports, the NIA team visited Deula Sahi in Cuttack to interrogate the family members of Ranjit Bhol (69), who were a witness to the deadly incident that unfolded at Baisaran valley on April 22.
The three-member team comprising two inspectors and one SP-rank officer, questioned Ranjit, his wife, their son and daughter-in-law for over an hour to gather crucial information on the attack and the attackers. After recording their statements, the officials returned to Bhubaneswar.
During the interrogation, the NIA team asked details like:
- Had the family seen the attackers before?
- What language did the terrorists speak?
- What exactly were they wearing?
- Did they ask anyone to recite the Kalma?
- How many attackers were there?
- How and where was Ranjit's wife injured?
During questioning, the NIA team also showed photos of key suspects to the Bhol family for confirmation.
As per reports, Ranjit Bhol and his family were on a trip to Pahalgam on the fateful day. After their safe return, they had told the media that they had witnessed the killing of three tourists by the terrorists, who had asked them to recite the Kalma. The Bhol family narrowly escaped the attack.
"They killed three people within a distance of 5 feet to 10 feet from me," said Ranjit Bhol's wife Sashi Kumari, who had gone to Kashmir to celebrate the third wedding anniversary of her son. Lord Jagannath and Sai Baba saved me and my family," she said to PTI, while recalling the moment she fractured her left hand and right leg while attempting to escape the gunfire.
Her son, Sandeep, claimed that he had to kneel in front of the terrorists and recite the 'kalma' to save himself. "However, all along I was thinking about Lord Hanuman. I used to wear a locket having a photo of Lord Hanuman, but that day I had missed it. Probably, that was the wish of the Lord, because of which I could escape such a major tragedy," he said.
