Her husband, Kaustubh Gunbote (58), and his childhood friend, Santosh Jagdale (50), were among those gunned down by terrorists while vacationing with their families in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam. The two men, on their first trip together, were shot at close range, according to Sangita.
In the immediate aftermath, Sangita, along with Jagdale’s wife and daughter, rode on horseback to reach the main market area in Pahalgam to seek help.
“A local horse rider we had hired to reach the valley helped us reach the market,” she said. A cab driver then helped them contact authorities. “By that time, the military had started to airlift the injured to hospital,” she added.
Back in Pune, the city came to a standstill Thursday morning as thousands gathered at the Vaikunth crematorium to bid farewell to the two friends. Their mortal remains had arrived at around 4am by flight. Friends, family, neighbours, and even strangers turned up in large numbers, moved by grief and outrage over the brutal attack.State and national leaders also visited the families. Besides Sharad Pawar, Maharashtra minister Chandrakant Patil, former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, Union minister Murlidhar Mohol, and state minister Madhuri Misal met the relatives and paid their respects at the funeral.“What the terrorists did was inhuman. India’s reaction must send a message to the world that we will not tolerate extremism,” said Chandrakant Gadgil, one of the mourners. Another attendee, Pramila Zurange, added, “Those who were involved in the attack should be brought to justice as soon as possible.”
The attack, which comes amid heightened tensions in the region, has sparked renewed concerns over the safety of civilians and tourists in Kashmir. The families of the victims, meanwhile, are left grappling with a tragic loss that no act of justice can undo.
(With inputs from ToI)
