As tourists scrambled to escape bullets being fired by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22, a pony ride operator displayed extraordinary courage as he tried to snatch the rifle from one of the terrorists.
Syed Adil Hussain Shah, who ferried tourists on his horse from the car parking to the Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam that is accessible only by foot, was shot dead during his attempt to fight one of the terrorists. He had tried to protect the tourist he had brought to the spot.
The terrorists, reportedly choosing their targets after asking them their religion and making them recite an Islamic verse, went on to kill 26 tourists. Shah was the only local killed in the attack.
Shah was the only breadwinner of the family, which includes his elderly parents, wife and children. His inconsolable mother wept at the loss of her son, while also worrying about the family’s future. The family has appealed for justice.
