Haptnar (Anantnag): His scorched hands and bullet-riddled body told a story of courage and sacrifice. Pony-wallah Syed Adil Hussain Shah, who grabbed a terrorist’s rifle barrel to save tourists during the horrific massacre in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley last year, came to embody Kashmir’s spirit and India’s soul in his final act of selflessness.Adil was the sole breadwinner of his family when he was killed on April 22, 2025. In the past year, his family has lived through a stark and complex transformation — from a life defined by daily uncertainty and frugal living to one of relative financial stability, even as they grapple with irreplaceable loss.Once living in a fragile 40-year-old house of mud and wood, they are waiting to move into a newly constructed one-storey home adjoining the old structure. Costing around Rs 10-Rs 12 lakh, the house was funded by Maharashtra deputy chief minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde’s party. The family says Shinde is expected to visit them on the first anniversary of the attack, after which they plan to shift into the new residence.In addition, the family has received around Rs 20 lakh in financial assistance from govt sources and other organisations. Even Adil’s widow, Nazim, has been given a permanent job in the fisheries department, while his brother Nazakat has secured a daily-wage job with the Waqf Board. Another brother, Naushad, who once drove taxis, now owns a cab worth around Rs 12 lakh.“We have no dearth of money now, but we miss Adil,” his father, Syed Haider Shah, said. “My son would earn around Rs 300-600 a day and we were happy with it,” he said. “He sacrificed his life for humanity. Tourists trusted us when they came to Pahalgam, and he tried to save them,” he said.Sitting outside the newly built house, Haider says he feels a sense of pride when people from across the country visit and acknowledge his son’s courage. “He lost his life, but he made ours more secure,” he said.Haidar says he is aware that opinions about his son differ within Kashmir and beyond. Haider, who is fluent in Pahari, Kashmiri and Urdu, says people from across the country continue to visit the family to offer condolences. “People in the Valley value what he did by saving tourists and giving his life for their safety,” he says. “But those from outside Jammu and Kashmir perhaps understand his sacrifice more deeply. They see that he did not think on religious lines and gave his life for others.”He pointed out that there were scores of people present in Baisaran that day who managed to escape. “My son could also have saved himself. But he didn’t. His conscience didn’t allow it and I am proud of it,” he says.The memories flood in. “He had injuries on his fingers because he had tried to snatch a rifle. Then he was shot in the back,” he says.“That day was the heaviest day of our lives. Woh qayamat ka din tha,” he says, almost in a whisper. “When I heard there was firing in Baisaran, I started calling him. He didn’t answer. As there is no network there, I thought he would answer. I kept calling till around 4 or 4.30 pm. At 6pm, when there was still no response, I went to Ashmuqam police station and told them my son was missing. They asked me to go home.”He falls silent for a while; then, with a deep sigh, he says: “When I reached home, I was informed by police that my son’s body was in Pahalgam hospital…” Haidar stops there, his eyes filled with tears.When the family reached Srinagar hospital to collect Adil’s body, a female tourist who had lost a family member said Adil had tried his best to save them by snatching a gun from the terrorists. Medical reports suggested that he was shot at close range — there was a hole in his neck, bullets in his chest, and a portion of one of his shoulders was mutilated by bullet injuries.
