Pahalgam Terror Attack: Deceased Victim Sanjay Jagdale's Namesake Narrowly Escapes Assail; Awaits To Return Home From Srinagar
Mumbai: Two individuals named Sanjay Jagdale, both hailing from Maharashtra, were present at Baisaran during a terrorist attack on tourists; one tragically lost his life while the other managed to escape and is now waiting for a flight to return home. This scenario sounds like a Bollywood film, but it is the reality of Santosh Jagdale, a 49-year-old juice vendor from Sangli, who was at the location of the Pahalgam attack just an hour prior to its occurrence, which resulted in 28 fatalities, predominantly among tourists.
Jagdale, whose namesake Santosh Eknath Jagdale was among those who died, explained that he has been receiving numerous calls from worried friends and family since his name was mentioned in the news. He and his companions, who opted to drive back instead of riding ponies, found out about the tragedy when they returned to their hotel. Jagdale is currently attempting to arrange a flight back to his home.
The phone has been continuously ringing for Santosh Jagdale, who found himself at the site of Tuesday's devastating Pahalgam terror attack, merely an hour before terrorists killed at least 26 individuals, primarily tourists.
“I am Santosh Laxman Jagdale. My namesake Santosh Eknath Jagdale, who also hails from Maharashtra, was among those who perished in the attack,” the 49-year-old juice vendor from Sangli shared with PTI.
“After the name ‘Santosh Jagdale’ was mentioned in national news as one of the casualties, I have been receiving calls throughout the night and this morning from people in my village, relatives, and friends checking on my safety,” Jagdale explained.
“I had traveled to the location by car from Pahalgam. We opted not to take ponies. It was a group of four, including myself, my spouse, my friend, and his wife, in the car… We departed the site of the attack an hour before the shooting commenced, unaware that our choice to return to Pahalgam would spare our lives. We only learned of the tragic incident after we returned to our hotel,” stated Jagdale, who operates a juice shop in Sangli.
“Now I am trying to secure the earliest flight home from Srinagar,” Jagdale mentioned, expressing that he has been unable to purchase flight tickets so far.
BJP MLA from Sangli, Sudhir Gadgil, informed PTI that he has also been receiving inquiries regarding Jagdale’s safety. “Since this morning, I have been clarifying to callers that the Santosh Jagdale who died was from Pune and that the Santosh Jagdale from Sangli is very much alive,” Gadgil said.
Heavily armed terrorists emerged from the woods of Baisaran, a meadow located atop a hill not far from Pahalgam on Tuesday afternoon and opened fire on tourists.
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