Tourist who filmed disturbing viral zipline video recalls Pahalgam terror attack, desperate escape
A video circulating on social media shows a tourist unknowingly capturing the moment of the Pahalgam terror attack while riding a zipline through the Baisaran Valley of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) where 26 people were killed. The video, which went viral on social media a week after the attack, sent shockwaves across the country.
The viral video shows a tourist, later identified by Aaj Tak news channel as Rishi Bhatt, recording himself during a zipline ride, smiling throughout. In the background, people can be seen running, gunshots being fired, and a man collapsing to the ground after running for a while.
The terror attack happened on April 22 at the popular tourist destination in Pahalgam’s Baisaran meadow, targeting mostly tourists.
In an interview, Rishi Bhatt revealed that he was unaware of the events unfolding on the ground in Baisaran while riding the zipline. It was only when he reached the other end that his wife told him about the attack, he said.
“Mahaul poora sahi tha, jaise hum zipline start kar rahe the, ussi time par firing start ho gayi thi around 1:28 pm ke aas paas, kariban 20 min ke aas paas firing start rahi thi. Jab main neeche pahocha toh meri wife ke saamne, uske hisaab se, 2 logon ko religion puchke 6 feet ke distance par goli maar di thi [The atmosphere was fine….just as we were starting the zipline, the firing started around 1:28 pm, and it continued for about 20 minutes. When I reached the bottom, according to my wife, two people had been shot at a 6-foot distance after being asked about their religion],” Rishi Bhatt said.
He quickly detached himself from the zipline and fled with his family. Rishi Bhatt said his life had been spared by just seven minutes.
He said, “Mujhe 20 sec ke baad pata chala, starting mein toh main meri masti mein hi tha, maine dekha ki jab main video utaar raha tha ki kuch log gir rahe hain. Tab tak mujhe maloom hi nahi tha [It was only after 20 seconds that I realized. At the start, I was just enjoying myself, but when I saw the video, I noticed that some people were falling. Until then, I had no idea].”
“Aatankiyon ne face cover kiya hua tha. Main 20-30 feet ke distance par ek gaddha tha, hum usme chupe huye the [The terrorists had covered their faces. There was a pit where we hid].”
He added that the other people who were also hiding started to flee in a zig-zag sequence. “Jab public ne bhaagna shuru kiya tab 6-7 log aur marr gaye the. Hamare saamne 17-18 logon ki maut ho gayi thi. Bhagte bhagte kuch logon ko back side se goliyan lagin [When people started running, 6–7 more were killed. Right in front of us, 17–18 people lost their lives. While fleeing, some were shot from behind].”
‘Usne Allahu Akbar bola…,’ Rishi Bhatt recalls
Speaking about his viral video capturing the zipline operator chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’ three times before sending him off the ride as gunshots rang out in the background, Rishi Bhatt said the operator had not behaved that way with other tourists riding the zipline.
“Mere aage 9 logon ne zipline ki tab tak wo banda normally sabko zipline karwa raha tha. Usne pehle Allahu Akbar bola phir goliyan chalni shuru huie,” Rishi Bhatt is heard saying in the interview.
