Terror attack: Visited Pahalgam a couple of days before massacre, says bureaucrat after returning to Sambhajinagar

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar : Mohan Pargaokar , a retired bureaucrat from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, who had visited Pahalgam with his wife and friends from Pune on April 20, just two days before the deadly terror attack, is still in shock.

Talking of Baisaran Valley , the 61-year-old said: "It was such a scenic place. We enjoyed nature and its beauty. We never expected such a massacre could take place there."

Pargaokar, who had started his Kashmir tour on April 17, said he was at Sonamarg when the news of the terror attack in Pahalgam broke. "We were all shell-shocked. The place we visited a couple of days ago had turned into a graveyard," he said.

Pargaokar, along with his wife, cut the tour short and decided to return to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. "We were stranded in Srinagar for two days. Thanks to state govt and Centre, we returned home safely," he said.

Pargaokar and his associates flew to Mumbai on a special plane arranged for by govt early on Thursday morning. The couple then took another plane to reach Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

District disaster management authorities said around 27 more tourists from the city are expected to arrive in batches over the next few days. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district collector Deelip Swami said effective coordination is being maintained to facilitate the smooth return of tourists from the district.