At least 4 kilometers far from there, at the Ganie family's home in Narwa village, Gulzar Ahmad Ganie along with his aged parents and siblings sat worried and hapless, waiting for his brothers Bilal (24) and Mehraj (20) to return home.
The family had sat together for Iftaar to break the 11th fasting day of Ramzan. At around 8:45 pm, the two decided to go out to run some errands on the family-owned poultry farm only a few kilometers away.
At 12 am, the defense spokesperson Colonel Rajesh Kalia issued a brief statement, saying that in an attack on the army camp, one trooper has been killed. "In a cowardly and provocative act of terror, terrorists carried out a stand-off attack on Kakapora Army Camp. One soldier martyred. Retaliatory actions ongoing," he said. A civilian was also reported to be injured.
Several phone calls and some pictures doing rounds on social media informed the Ganie family that Bilal, a cab driver for last nine years, was shot dead during the gunfire. It was reported that he came under crossfire.
The entire night people were swarming into the dusty compound of the house, overlooking the large fields and a family vegetable garden. "He was a driver, not a Mujahid [militant]. Why would they shoot him? Is this what their ceasefire means?" questioned a mourner in the compound.
At least an hour and a half after the gunfire, family members of Bilal, including neighbours and relatives, traveled to the Pulwama District Hospital to get his body. Bilal's older brother, Gulzar, told The Kashmir Walla that it was around 11:30 pm when they received Bilal's body from the hospital. But they couldn't find Mehraj.
"We told the police we won't leave until we can take Mehraj also. By 1:30 am a posse of police and STF [Special Task Force] personnel arrived at the hospital and shot tear gas shells leading to chaos. They took away Bilal's body from the ambulance," he explained.
At home, women were wailing on the balcony, while men were standing in the compound waiting for the two brothers. "You left early, oh! my brother, even before your parents would leave for the Hajj," a woman wailed, standing on the balcony of a two-storey under-constructed house.
Suddenly, as recalled by the family, cries of a young man could be heard from a distance. Everyone turned towards the gate and saw a young man in pheran struggling to run towards the house. As he reached near, he collapsed.
It was Mehraj, weak and pale. He couldn't talk, stand properly or keep his eyes open.
"Mehraj entered the house and asked where Bilal was? He didn't know about his death at that time. He still didn't recognize it. He is in shock. He is traumatized and won't recover now," said Amir, Mehraj's cousin brother, while keeping Mehraj's feet warm by rubbing his hands over them. Over the next few hours, Amir was continuously checking Mehraj's pulse too.
At the police lines, Gulzar and others were finally given Bilal's body at around 6:30 am.
When Bilal's body arrived at his house, Mehraj almost jumped out of a window to see the last glimpse of his brother but his relatives stopped him.