Caught Mid-Air: The Horror Beneath a Tourist’s Zipline Ride

It begins like any other tourist video—shaky, cheerful, the kind made to capture a fleeting thrill. In the 53-second clip from Kashmir’s Baisaran Valley, a zipline operator launches a tourist into the air, shouting “Allahu Akbar” three times. Moments later, we hear other sounds: screams, gunshots, and the blurred chaos of bodies running for their lives. What started as a holiday adventure ends as evidence in a terrorism probe.

The attack that followed has rattled the country—not just for its brutality, but for how closely it was witnessed, even filmed, by unsuspecting civilians. On April 22, militants opened fire on tourists gathered in the popular meadow near Pahalgam. At least 26 were killed in what investigators have now described as a targeted assault by Islamist extremists, allegedly affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba. The attackers are said to have selectively spared those who could recite Islamic prayers, further underlining the sectarian violence at the heart of the massacre.

Over a hundred tourists were present when the attack began. One woman was seen collapsing in the background of the video, trying to flee. The zipline rider, Rishi Bhatt, remained suspended above the horror, the harness now a cruel irony. He later recounted his narrow escape and the harrowing scenes he witnessed upon landing.

Now, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has summoned the zipline operator for questioning. While authorities have not confirmed any formal charges, his repetition of “Allahu Akbar” so close to the first shots has sparked widespread speculation and controversy, further fanned by the video’s virality. Was it routine religious expression, or a signal? The NIA is investigating any possible prior contact between the operator and the militants, though no definitive link has emerged so far.

This isn’t the first time tourism and terror have collided in Kashmir, but the psychological rupture this time is different. The attackers aimed not just at bodies, but at India’s national sense of security—and its effort to restore tourism in the Valley after years of insurgency. The meadow at Baisaran was supposed to be a zone of peace, the kind of place where families from Gujarat or Karnataka could ride horses, zip across treetops, and forget about conflict. The illusion of safety in Kashmir’s most serene corners has been irrevocably shattered.

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