'I said Kalma as terrorists approached': Assam professor’s terrifying escape from death

Reciting Islamic verse 'Kalma' saved the life of Assam University Professor Debasish Bhattacharya by a whisker from the terrorists' bullets in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam where he was holidaying with his family.

Bhattacharya, who teaches Bengali at Silchar's Assam University, was at Baisaran meadows when the gun-totting terrorists started targeting tourists visiting the picturesque spot.

He said the people around him crouched on the ground and started reciting the 'Kalma', a declaration of faith that forms the core beliefs of Muslims.

"So I also followed them. A terrorist walked up to us and shot the man next to me. Then he looked at me and asked what I was doing. I just recited the Kalma louder and did not reply to his question. I don't know what happened, he just turned around and left," Bhattacharya told PTI over phone.

The professor said after the terrorists left, he along with his wife and son immediately abandoned the place and walked back.

"I somehow managed to escape by crossing the fence," he said.

After walking for about two hours, he met a local man who guided him back to the Pahalgam town.

Some of the eyewitnesses have claimed that the victims were asked about their religion before they were shot. The terrorists only targeted men.

Still badly shaken from the ordeal, Bhattacharya said he will not be able to answer any more queries.

Meanwhile, the Assam government is making arrangements to bring Bhattacharya's family to his hometown.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The <a href="https://twitter.com/CMOfficeAssam?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CMOfficeAssam</a> has spoken to a survivor from Assam of the dastardly <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PahalgamTerrorAttack?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PahalgamTerrorAttack</a> and has taken a full brief of the incident which they have faced yesterday.<br><br>The entire family&#39;s return to the State is being arranged on priority and the Govt of Assam is in touch with…</p>&mdash; Chief Minister Assam (@CMOfficeAssam) <a href="https://twitter.com/CMOfficeAssam/status/1914943510010081680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"The@CMOfficeAssam has spoken to a survivor from Assam of the dastardly #PahalgamTerrorAttack and has taken a full brief of the incident which they have faced yesterday," the CMO said in a post on X.

"The entire family's return to the state is being arranged on priority and the government of Assam is in touch with the govt of India to bring the family back to Assam at the earliest," it added.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also said that his office is in touch with Bhattacharya. "We will ensure his safe return to Assam soon," he said.

A group of terrorists opened fire at Baisaran meadows, killing at least 26 people, mostly tourists from other states, and injuring several others.