Shimoga:  Pallavi, the wife of Manjunath Rao who was killed in a recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, has shared heartbreaking details of the incident and appealed for empathy amid rising online criticism.

Recounting the traumatic experience, Pallavi said, “When the terrorists killed my husband, my son and I screamed and begged them to kill us too. They replied, ‘Go tell Modi’—that really happened.”

However, her statement has sparked a wave of negative online comments. Pallavi expressed her anguish, asking, “Should I have recorded videos in such a situation? Who could do that in a moment like that?” She added that the backlash has left her deeply disturbed. “These comments are painful. But what can we do about them?” she asked.

Pallavi clarified that her husband was not asked about his religion before being shot. “They didn’t ask my husband anything. He was likely shot from a distance, so maybe they didn’t even speak to him. But others said that the attackers asked some people their religion before shooting,” she noted.

Describing the sequence of events on the day of the attack, she said they reached Pahalgam at around 12:30 PM. By 1:30 PM, after dismounting from horses near a hilltop, the attack occurred within five minutes. “My husband was shot directly from a short distance and died instantly. A lieutenant standing nearby was also shot. His wife pleaded for help, saying he was still breathing and asked if we could carry him down on horseback,” Pallavi recalled.

She tried to assist but said it was impossible to move him in that moment. “He died within five minutes. The lieutenant’s wife was young and not in a mental state to accept his death. So, I stayed silent.”

Pallavi concluded by requesting people to respect their grief. “Please don’t ask me anything more about this. I don’t have the strength to explain it further. Try to understand our pain.”