Families of slain tourists thank govt for financial aid

Her appeal came a day after Congress leader Wadettiwar passed questionable comments about the victims of attack

- Nadeem Inamdar

PUNE: Pragati Jagdale, wife of Santosh Jagdale—one of the tourists killed in the April 22 terror strike in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam—on Tuesday urged political leaders not to exploit the tragedy for political ends. She said survivors had directly witnessed the brutality and distinctly heard what the attackers said during the ambush.

Her appeal came a day after Maharashtra Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar sparked a controversy by questioning claims that the terrorists had asked victims about their religion before opening fire. Wadettiwar, while stating that terrorists have no caste or religion, cast doubt on the widely reported version that non-Muslims were specifically targeted in the Pahalgam massacre.

His comments drew swift backlash from the ruling alliance, with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis calling it deeply insensitive and offensive to the victims' families.

On April 22, 26 people—mostly tourists—were killed in a terror attack in Pahalgam, located in the Anantnag district of south Kashmir.

Survivors and eyewitnesses later told the media that the attackers had deliberately targeted non-Muslims during the shooting.