Special Correspondent | Pune
Even after removing their bindis and chanting the Islamic call to prayer (Azaan) aloud, the terrorists showed no mercy.
This was the gut-wrenching account shared by the wife of Kaustubh Ganbote, one of the 28 Indian tourists brutally killed in the terrorist attack at Pahalgam, Kashmir, on Tuesday. Among the dead were two residents of Pune — Santosh Jagdale and Kaustubh Ganbote. Their bodies were brought back to their homes early Thursday morning for final rites.
Recounting the chilling moments to NCP leader Sharad Pawar, who visited the grieving family in Pune, Kaustubh Ganbote’s wife broke down as she narrated:
“One of the terrorists called us forward and asked, ‘Do you know how to recite the Azaan? Can you say anything from it?’ Just hearing that, all of us women removed our bindis and loudly began chanting the Azaan. But it didn’t matter. They still shot our men… they showed no mercy,” she said.
Her voice trembling, she described the sheer terror and chaos that followed.
“At the gate, there was a Muslim man – he shouted at the terrorists, saying, ‘Why are you killing innocent people? What have they done?’ But they didn’t spare him either. They pushed him forward and shot him too.”
She added that their horse guides, who were also Muslims, tried to help them.
“Our horsemen were very good people. After the shooting started, they came back for us and tried to take us to safety. The Army also helped us… but by then, it was too late. We had already lost our people.”
The attackers allegedly asked questions about religion before shooting. In fear for their lives, the women in the group instinctively tried to signal religious similarity in hopes of mercy — an act of desperation that, tragically, failed to save their loved ones.
“Even after doing all that — removing bindis, chanting Azaan — they killed them. What kind of hatred is this?” she said.
The attack took place during what was supposed to be the first day of their Kashmir trip. “It was supposed to be a peaceful vacation — instead, it turned into a nightmare,” she said.
Veteran politician Sharad Pawar visited both bereaved families — Jagdale’s and Ganbote’s — on Thursday morning and offered condolences. He spent time listening to their experiences and assured them of support.
