Militants in Indian Kashmir segregate men from women and children before opening fire

By Fayaz Bukhari

SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) - Militants who killed 26 radical successful India's Kashmir portion separated the men from the women and children and asked the men their names earlier shooting them astatine adjacent range, information officials and survivors said connected Wednesday.

About 1,000 tourists and 300 section work providers were successful the Baisaran Valley - known arsenic mini Switzerland for its lush hilltop meadow, surrounded by dense conifer forests - erstwhile 3 gunmen launched the Tuesday attack, the worst successful India successful astir 2 decades.

The heavily-armed attackers roamed astir the grasslands and fired 60 rounds of ammunition, but did not sprout women and children, a information official, who did not privation to beryllium named arsenic helium was not authorised to talk to the media, said. His relationship was based connected conversations with survivors.

Asavari Jagdale, from India's occidental authorities of Maharashtra, mislaid her begetter and uncle successful the attack. She told section media that she and her household hid wrong a adjacent structure on with different tourists erstwhile the shooting started.

When the militants reached their tent, Asavari said they asked her father, Santosh Jagdale, to travel retired and recite an Islamic verse.

"When helium failed to bash so, they pumped 3 bullets into him, 1 connected the head, 1 down the receptor and different successful the back," she said. "My uncle was adjacent to me. The terrorists fired 4 to 5 bullets into him."

SAVED BY CHANTING ISLAMIC VERSES

Debasish Bhattacharyya, a Hindu who teaches astatine Assam University and who grew up successful a Muslim neighbourhood successful the state, said helium was acquainted with Islamic verses. The militants ordered him and those adjacent onto their knees and erstwhile the others started chanting the verses, helium followed along.

"I knew the words and, astatine that moment, it was astir apt the lone mode to prevention our lives. Those who failed, were killed," helium told Reuters, adding that they fled erstwhile the gunmen near and trekked done a wood for 2 hours to survive.

The attackers were dressed successful accepted agelong shirts and escaped trousers and 1 of them was wearing a bodycam, a information root said, adding that the militants opened occurrence astatine 3 spots crossed the Baisaran Valley, a fashionable tourer destination.

Some tourists were changeable astatine the eateries located successful the meadow, portion immoderate were taken to the forests and changeable there, the information root said.

Visitors person to trek oregon prosecute ponies to scope Baisaran, situated astir 4 km (about 2.5 miles) from the Pahalgam country of the Himalayan national territory.

It offers escapade sports facilities specified arsenic ziplining and zorbing and besides serves arsenic a campsite for trekkers trying to scope Tulian Lake, an alpine water situated astir 11 km from Baisaran.

Prashant Satpathy, his woman and nine-year-old lad had traveled from the eastbound authorities of Odisha and were connected the past time of their four-day trip.

They had conscionable completed a zipline thrust erstwhile a slug deed Satpathy connected his head, his wife, Priyadarshini, told section media. "He collapsed earlier my eyes," she said.

Adil Hussain Shah, a pony thrust relation from Pahalgam, was besides among the 26 dormant successful the attack.

"We person heard that helium did not dice conscionable similar that, helium was displaying bravery... this was a idiosyncratic who tried to halt the attack, and possibly besides tried to drawback the gun, that is wherefore helium was targeted," Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah told reporters aft visiting Shah's household connected Wednesday.

(Reporting by Fayaz Bukhari; further reporting by Sakshi Dayal successful New Delhi, Jatindra Dash successful Bhubaneshwar and Saurabh Sharma successful Lucknow; Writing by Sudipto Ganguly; editing by Sharon Singleton)