Mumbai: In the midst of a political controversy surrounding Maharashtra Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar’s disputed remarks about the claims that terrorists in Pahalgam questioned the religious beliefs of tourists before their attack last week, Pragati Jagdale, the wife of Santosh Jagdale—one of the victims of the April 22 incident—urged political figures to refrain from exploiting this tragedy for political gain.
In a heartfelt statement to the press, Pune resident Pragati Jagdale expressed, ‘Please do not politicize this event or manipulate our feelings. We were present and are aware of what the terrorists said. We have already disclosed their statements made during the assault.’ As both a witness and a survivor, she asserted that the attackers had a clear intent to kill and executed the massacre with cold-blooded precision, according to news agency PTI.
‘We encountered terrorism firsthand and heard their hateful rhetoric. I implore all politicians, on humanitarian grounds, to avoid playing with our emotions,’ PTI reported her as saying. Jagdale further noted that the survivors had directly experienced the horror and heard the assailants’ words, claiming that the terrorists specifically targeted non-Muslims. ‘The trauma of the attack continues to haunt us.
Every time I close my eyes, I see a man with a rifle. I have been unable to sleep properly; the shock is profound,’ she shared with reporters. She expressed hope that, with government support, her daughter Asavari would be able to rebuild her life.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on Tuesday that the Maharashtra government would provide financial aid of ₹50 lakh to the families of the six state residents who lost their lives in the Pahalgam attack, and that jobs would be offered to the next of kin of the deceased tourists from Maharashtra.
