‘I’m happy that govt acted, but still too traumatised to watch the news’

I have stopped watching TVmdashit scares me and gives me anxiety whenever I see violence and gunfirerdquo Manik Patil the wife of retired GST officer Subodh Patil who was injured during the Pahalgam terror attack told middayShe made this statement when asked about the Indian Armyrsquos Operation Sindoor which targeted terror camps in Pakistanoccupied Kashmir ldquoI havenrsquot watched TV but I heard about it and we welcome the governmentrsquos move It was much neededmdashthis is the only language Pakistan understands Irsquom so happy that the perpetrators who targeted tourists based on their religion are being brought to justicerdquoSubodh Patil Pahalgam terror attack survivorRecounting the horror she witnessed for the first time Manik said ldquoMy husband and I were on a tenday trip We left on April 21 and the attack happened the very next day We were in Pahalgam at the spot known as lsquoMini Switzerlandrsquo when we suddenly heard gunfire People began to panic At first we didnrsquot know what was happening but soon we realised it was a terror attack The horses ran off and before we could react the terrorists approached us shouting lsquoHindu kaun hai Hindi kaun hairdquoShe added ldquoEveryone was terrified I saw a terrorist shoot a man who was with his wife and a small child I cannot describe in words what I feltmdashI saw blood people being shot in front of my eyes dead bodies everywhere The same terrorist shot my husband and he fell unconscious A local Kashmiri man who had taken us uphill on his horse came to our aid First he helped me down the hill and then he returned for my husbandrdquoAs she recollected the episode Manik became emotional saying ldquoAfter that I was waiting at the bottom of the hill for my husband When he finally came down he told me he had regained consciousness and taken shelter near a tree There were multiple dead bodies and blood everywhere A local Kashmiri man gave him water and helped him come down safelyrdquoLiving with traumaldquoI canrsquot explain the kind of horrific impact that incident has had on me Whenever I see firing or hear gunshotsmdasheven on TVmdashI get anxious I stopped watching television when my husband was in the hospital for ten days Even then I was experiencing similar anxiety My son eventually told me to stop watching the news Today when we heard about our army attacking terror camps I felt happy but I still couldnrsquot bring myself to watch the newsmdashI donrsquot want to see those images and relive that trauma I pray to God that no one ever has to go through something so horrifying A father was killed right in front of his small child and wifemdashI saw that with my own eyes That image is etched in my mind and just wonrsquot go awayrdquo Manik saidPrachi Manik and Subodh Patilrsquos daughter said ldquoWe are grateful that the government has delivered justice to the victims of Pahalgam Thatrsquos all the victims ever wantedmdashjustice I also urge the government to ensure that adequate security is deployed in Kashmir so that people are not afraid to visitrdquoAsked if the family would ever consider going to Kashmir both mother and daughter shared their concerns ldquoWe trust our army but wersquore still very scared The image of Kashmir thatrsquos now etched in our minds is hard to erase However we believe that with proper security tourists can feel safe againrdquo they statedWhen midday visited the Patil residence in Kamothe Navi Mumbai Subodh Patil was asleep and under medication However earlier in the day he had spoken to the press welcoming the governmentrsquos action targeting terror camps in Pakistan responsible for the attackldquoThis is what we were expecting from the government and the Indian Army and we never had any doubt about it We were always hopeful that the government would act firmly against the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attackrdquo he had saidMumbaikars speak their mind about wednesdayrsquos drillAshish Dwivedi 32 Resident of SantacruzlsquoSuch drills should be conducted more oftenmdashmaybe once a yearmdashnot only when therersquos a warlike situation It is a good initiativersquoHazel DrsquoSouza 27 MNC employee VasailsquoHolding a nationwide drill was smart It should become a regular practicersquoDipesh Tank 40 Resident of Malad EastlsquoIt was a good initiative to test our preparedness But honestly Irsquom not sure what Irsquom supposed to do when the siren goes off apart from knowing it signals a potential attackrsquoJuhi Verma Banker DombivlilsquoThe safety drill and police parade at CSMT are crucial steps toward emergency preparedness These simulations test coordination across agencies and raise public awareness Regular serious drills with clear communication can prevent panic and improve response More citizen engagement would strengthen their impactrsquoatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params