Indore, Apr 23 (PTI) Terrorists who targeted tourists in Pahalgam asked an LIC manager from Indore, who belonged to the Christian community, to recite the ‘Kalma’ before shooting him dead, his relatives claimed on Wednesday and demanded harshest punishment for the assailants.

Sushil Nathaniel (58), who had gone to Jammu and Kashmir with his wife, daughter and son to celebrate Easter, was among the 26 persons killed in the terror attack in Pahalgam on Tuesday.

The family’s trip to have a joyful festive time together turned into a tragedy and nothing can be more saddening than this, the victim’s relatives said.

Nathaniel was posted as a manager with the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) in Madhya Pradesh’s Alirajpur, about 200 km from Indore, as per officials.

His cousin Sanjay Kumrawat told PTI, “We have spoken to Sushil Nathaniel’s wife and son over the phone. They told us that terrorists asked Sushil’s name and forced him to kneel down, they then asked him to recite the Kalma (phrase articulating Islamic faith). When Sushil said that he could not recite Kalma, the terrorists shot him.” When Nathaniel’s daughter Akanksha (35) ran towards him after being scared seeing bullets fired at her father, the terrorists shot her in the leg, Kumrawat said.

Akanksha is undergoing treatment in Jammu and Kashmir, he said.

“The strictest action should be taken against the terrorists who killed 26 innocent people by carrying out the cowardly attack in Kashmir so that it sets an example for the whole world,” Kumrawat said.

He said their grieving family has full faith in the Narendra Modi government.

The deceased’s cousin sister Indu Dawar also claimed that according to their family members present at the incident spot, terrorists shot Sushil Nathaniel after asking him about his religious identity.

“Sushil had gone to Kashmir with his family. We want justice and the killers should be given the strictest punishment,” she said.

Nathaniel’s daughter Akanksha (35) was shot in the leg during the attack and she is undergoing treatment in Jammu and Kashmir, she said.

Dawar said Nathaniel was also accompanied by his wife Jennifer (54) and their son Austin alias Goldie (25) during the terror attack. The mother-son duo survived, but they are in a state of shock, she added.

Another relative of Nathaniel, Gemma Vikas, said the LIC officer killed in the terror attack had gone to Kashmir with his family on the occasion of Easter.

“Nothing is more saddening than the fact that the happiness of tourists who went on a festive trip turned into mourning. We want the government to hunt down and eliminate the terrorists immediately,” she said.

Indore Collector Ashish Singh reached out to Nathaniel’s relatives and assured them of all possible help from the state government.

“Chief Minister Mohan Yadav is constantly seeking information about Nathaniel’s family. The state government is in constant touch with the Jammu and Kashmir administration,” he said.

Nathaniel’s body will be brought to Indore from Srinagar by air and his daughter, who was injured in the terror attack, will be provided full treatment, Singh added. PTI HWP ADU GK