Karnataka Techie Recalls His Army Brother’s Heroic Act – How Did He Save 40 Lives During Pahalgam Attack? News24 –

Pahalgam Terror Attack: A heroic act of bravery has emerged from the tragic Pahalgam Terror attack that claimed 26 innocent lives in Jammu-Kashmir on April 22, 2025. A senior Indian Army officer displayed remarkable courage and saved the lives of around 35 to 40 people. His valiant act was shared by a software engineer in Karnataka, who, along with his family, narrowly escaped the attack.

In a post on X, Prasanna Kumar Bhat claimed that his brother, who is an Indian Army officer, protected several people by guiding them to safety. He wrote, “We survived the horror to tell the story of what can only be described as a monstrous act and paint the heavenly beauty blood-red with hellfire.” Bhat said that he reached Pahalgam, along with his wife, brother, and sister-in-law, around 12.30 pm on April 22.

Yet another survival story from the tainted Baisaran valley in Pahalgam. We survived the horror to tell the story of what can only be described as monstrous act and paint the heavenly beauty blood-red with hellfire.
By the grace of the God, luck, and some quick thinking from… pic.twitter.com/00ln2y0DJo

— Prasanna Kumar Bhat (@prasannabhat38) April 25, 2025

How Things Took A Tragic Turn?

Earlier, due to bad weather conditions, Bhat and his family had postponed their trip by 2 days. He said that they took a pony ride to Baisaran valley and reached there by 1.35 pm. While they were enjoying the scenic beauty of the town, things took a tragic turn. They heard the sound of the first two gunshots.

Bhat Recalls “Pin Drop Silence For A Minute“

Recalling the event, Bhat said, “It was followed by a pin drop silence for a minute and everyone was just comprehending what had happened, and the kids playing all around were still enjoying the best picnic of their lives.” Within moments, they ran to the nearest cover point behind the mobile toilet, installed on the side, about 400 mts from the entrance. What they saw next was beyond imagination – “two bodies lying on the ground.”

“Hellfire Broke, Gunshots Came In Bursts”

Bhat further shared that his brother was immediately alerted that this was a terrorist attack. He noted, “Then the hellfire broke, the gunshots came in bursts, and chaos ensued. There was a cacophony of the crowd screaming out loud and running for their lives.” He said that his brother was quick enough to assess the situation and act promptly.

What Happened Next?

Bhat’s post read, “So most of the crowd ran towards the gate for escape, where the terrorists were already waiting, like sheep running to the tiger. We could see a terrorist approaching in our direction, so we decided to run the other way, and fortunately, we found a narrow opening under the fence, and most of the people hiding slid through the fence and started running the other way.”

How An Army Officer Saved 40 Lives?

Bhat added that his brother (an Army officer) took cover with his wife near the mobile toilet. “So he guided us and 35-40 tourists in the opposite direction. Fortunately, we found an opening in the fence due to nala (pipe). He took us along with others, through the fence, and asked us not to bunch up. He guided the people to run in the downward direction to move away from the place where the firing was happening. It was a slope where the water stream was flowing, so it gave some level of protection from direct line of sight,” he wrote.

He further said that the four of them managed to take cover in a narrow pit under the trees, which was just a few hundred metres away from the location. As gunshots continued, they desperately prayed for their lives.