Pune: The recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam has left 580 tourists from Pune city and district stranded in various parts of Jammu and Kashmir. Following the attack, the District Disaster Management Cell under the Pune Collector’s Office established immediate contact with all tourist groups from the region to ensure their safety and to begin coordination for their return.
Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, announced that the Government of Maharashtra has arranged special flights to bring back all stranded tourists free of cost. The entire cost of these flights will be borne by the state government, and it is expected that all tourists will be safely back in Pune within the next two days.
Pune District Collector Jitendra Dudi confirmed that between 10 PM on April 22 and 6 PM on April 23, the Disaster Management Control Room received 580 calls from distressed tourists. The Collectorate shared these details with the state government, and coordination is ongoing with Jammu & Kashmir authorities to ensure the return of every stranded individual. Names of all stranded tourists have also been submitted to the State Disaster Management Control Room.
Tragically, the cowardly terrorist attack claimed the lives of six people from Maharashtra, including two from Pune. The deceased have been identified as Santosh Jagdale (54), a resident of Dnyandeep Colony in Karve Nagar, and Kaustubh Ganbote (56), from Shantinagar, Salunkhe Garden in Gangadham. Both were part of a group of families from the Cummins company circle that had gone on a leisure trip to Kashmir just three days prior to the attack.
According to reports, while sightseeing in Pahalgam, the group was confronted by armed terrorists who demanded religious identification. When Santosh Jagdale failed to recite certain religious verses, he was shot in front of his daughter Asavari. Both Jagdale and Ganbote were critically injured in the gunfire and later succumbed to their injuries during treatment.
The incident has left their families deeply shaken. Jagdale’s wife Pragati and Ganbote’s wife Sangeeta were just a short distance away during the attack and are said to be in a state of shock. Asavari, who witnessed her father being shot, is reported to be mentally traumatized.
The mortal remains of Santosh Jagdale and Kaustubh Ganbote will be flown to Pune’s Lohegaon Airport around 11:15 PM tonight. Maharashtra Minister Madhuri Misal will receive the bodies on behalf of the state government. From the airport, the bodies will be taken to Sassoon General Hospital’s mortuary and later brought to their residences at 7:30 AM. The final rites will be conducted at Vaikunth Crematorium at 10:00 AM on April 24.
Since the attack, the Pune District Disaster Management Authority has received hundreds of calls not only from stranded tourists but also from anxious relatives eager for information and assistance. Many callers reported that while their loved ones were currently safe, they were terrified and desperately wanted to return home.
The administration had quickly issued emergency contact numbers for public use—020-26123371, 9370960061, 8975232955, and 8888565317—and urged that if anyone knows a tourist from Pune stranded in Jammu & Kashmir, they should immediately inform the authorities.
District Disaster Management Officer Vitthal Banote stated that the number of stranded tourists may continue to rise as more data is compiled
