19 Tourists from Maharashtra Escape Terror in Pahalgam

Mumbai, April 23 (NationPress) A total of 19 tourists from Maharashtra narrowly escaped the chaos in Pahalgam on April 22, as fortune favored them, aided by local Kashmiri hotel proprietors.

Sadly, six other tourists from Maharashtra were not as fortunate and lost their lives to the terror incident.

Among the fortunate group, 14 hailed from the Chalisgaon area in Jalgaon district, Maharashtra. They visited Pahalgam from April 19 to 21 and returned to Srinagar on Monday.

“We were indeed lucky. We chose not to extend our stay until Tuesday,” shared one of the tourists. The group was made up of seven males and seven females.

Among these 14 tourists from Jalgaon, one was BJP office bearer Devayani Thakre, who maintained communication with Jalgaon MP Smita Wagh and Chalisgaon legislator Mangesh Chavan following the attack.

“We reached Pahalgam on Saturday and appreciated nature's beauty. We departed for Srinagar on Monday, just before the terror strike occurred on Tuesday. Our adherence to our schedule saved us,” stated Thakre.

Thakre mentioned that they are currently staying in a hotel in Srinagar and have plans to visit Katra. After offering their prayers at Vaishno Devi, they intend to fly back to Mumbai from Delhi on April 27.

“However, our plans have been disrupted due to Tuesday's attack, leaving us stranded in the hotel in Srinagar. There is a palpable anxiety among all tourists regarding our safe return home,” Thakre expressed.

Thakre also reached out to BJP MP Smita Wagh and legislator Mangesh Chavan to arrange for a special flight for their journey.

In a similar vein, five tourists from Buldhana district in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region were also fortunate enough to avoid the attack, thanks to the hotel owner’s quick actions.

“The hotel owner rushed to our rooms as soon as the news broke and advised us to stay inside. We were on the verge of leaving, but as the news unfolded on TV, he urged us to remain safe indoors,” recounted one tourist.

The Jain family from Buldhana, including Nilesh Jain, Paras Arun Jain, Rishabh Arun Jain, Shweta Nilesh Jain, and Anushka Nilesh Jain, were vacationing in Kashmir. When the chaos erupted, they were at the hotel in Pahalgam.

“Just as we were ready to leave the hotel, the owner cautioned us against venturing out due to the heavy gunfire,” Nilesh Jain noted.

“We traveled to Kashmir from Mumbai on April 18. After visiting various tourist attractions in J&K, we arrived at the hotel in Pahalgam on the night of April 21. On Tuesday morning, we were about to step out for a walk, but the hotel staff advised us to stay in due to ongoing gunfire. We owe our safety to their timely warning,” he added.

“We appeal to the government to facilitate our departure from here. We are currently making our way to Srinagar by local transport,” Nilesh Jain requested.

At least 26 tourists and local residents lost their lives on Tuesday after gunmen opened fire on innocent civilians in Baisaran, Jammu and Kashmir.

Eyewitnesses reported that a group of heavily armed terrorists emerged from the nearby forests and indiscriminately fired at civilians, most of whom were tourists.

Baisaran is a small meadow located three to four kilometers from the Pahalgam market, and tourists typically reach it on horseback as there are no motorable roads.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to New Delhi on Wednesday morning after cutting short his trip to Saudi Arabia in light of the attack.

He held a brief meeting with NSA Ajit Doval, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri at the airport. PM Modi condemned the terror incident, asserting that those responsible will face justice and reaffirming India’s unwavering commitment to combating terrorism.

(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)