Srinagar, Apr 29: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has said that the zip line operator who was heard chanting 'Allahu Akbar' during the recent terror attack in Pahalgam was reacting naturally to the sudden violence and had no known links to the attackers.
The zip line operator, identified as Muzammil, was seen in a viral video recorded on April 22—the day of the attack that claimed 26 lives—chanting 'Allahu Akbar' three times while a tourist used the adventure ride. The video, captured by tourist Rishi Bhatt, showed both the zip line activity and the sound of gunfire during the attack.
After the video gained widespread attention online, the NIA questioned Muzammil about his actions and the timing of his chants. However, NIA sources told India Today TV that chanting 'Allahu Akbar' was likely a spontaneous reaction, similar to how people from other faiths might invoke God during moments of panic or shock. “It is similar to someone saying ‘Hey Ram’ in a moment of fear,” said an NIA source.
While Muzammil reportedly gave different answers when asked why he released the tourist on the zip line after gunfire began, the investigators have not found any evidence so far to directly connect him to the attack.
Rishi Bhatt, who was the last tourist to take the zip line ride before the attack, had claimed that Muzammil chanted 'Allahu Akbar' thrice just before the shooting started. The video was recorded on Bhatt’s camera.
Meanwhile, Muzammil's brother Mukhtar spoke to India Today/Aaj Tak, strongly defending his sibling. He said Muzammil had no prior knowledge of the attack and ran for his life as soon as the firing began.
Reacting to the incident, People's Democratic Party (PDP) spokesperson Mohammad Iqbal Trumboo told ANI that such chants are common in Kashmir during any tragic or shocking incident. “Kashmiris naturally remember Allah during disasters. People outside do not understand our culture. This has nothing to do with militancy,” he said.
Trumboo also criticised the authorities, saying the focus should be on reviewing lapses in the security system rather than targeting innocent individuals.
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Bhubaneswar (PTI): In the fourth such incident within a month, a 13-year-old girl allegedly set herself on fire and is struggling for life at a hospital in Odisha’s Bargarh district, police said on Monday.
The incident took place at Phiringmal village within Gaisilat police station limits.
The minor was rescued by villagers from a football ground in a half-burnt condition and rushed to Bargarh district headquarters hospital, where her condition is stated to be critical, police said.
"The reason behind the self-immolation is not yet known. The victim, a class 8 student, used petrol to set herself on fire," police added.
The latest incident follows the deaths of three other women by burning since July 12.
On that day, a 20-year-old woman student in Balasore set herself ablaze on her college campus and died at AIIMS Bhubaneswar on July 14.
On July 19, a minor girl was allegedly set on fire by three miscreants in Balanga and died at AIIMS Delhi on August 2.
The third such incident took place in Kendrapara district on August 6, when a third-year undergraduate woman college student’s charred body was found from her house under Pattamundai (rural) police station area.