Syed Adil Hussain Shah, the only Muslim among the 26 tourists killed in Wednesday’s carnage carried out by terrorists in Pahalgam, is being hailed as a “hero” after he died trying to save a woman in the attack. The 27-year-old was injured in the attack while trying to shield the tourist he had brought to the Baisaran meadow on his pony. He later succumbed to his injuries.
A pony operator and the sole breadwinner of his family, Shah was buried at Hapatnar in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Wednesday.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who attended Shah’s funeral, promised support to the deceased’s family. “I condemn this attack in the strongest terms. A poor local labourer has died in this cowardly attack. He was brave. He died trying to save the tourists. I have also heard that he even tried to snatch the gun from one of the terrorists. That was when he was made a target and shot,” Abdullah said while addressing the media.
Speaking to the media, Shah’s father, Syed Haider Shah, said that his son went to Pahalgam to work. “Around 3 pm we heard about the attack and tried calling him, but his phone was switched off. Later, at 4.40 pm, his phone was switched on, but no one answered. We rushed to the police station, and that’s when we learned that he had been injured in the attack. Whoever is responsible must face the consequences.”
Shah is survived by his elderly parents, wife and kids. Following the attack, the Indian security forces launched the combing operations to hunt the perpetrators of the attack.