20 Barodians stranded during Pahalgam terrorist attack return home safely

After the terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Kashmir, a group of around 20 travellers from Vadodara, who had been stranded in Srinagar for two days, returned to Vadodara on Saturday. 

The scenes were poignant as many had tears in their eyes as they set foot in Vadodara. Relatives received them at the railway station with joy and a sense of relief.

Chandniben, a tourist who returned from Jammu and Kashmir, said, “We thank god. When the terrorist attack happened, we were at Shalimar Bagh in Srinagar. As news of the attack spread, the atmosphere in Srinagar became increasingly tense. Schools and markets were shut down, and protests erupted at Lal Chowk against the attack. We received a lot of support from the Indian Army. Even the local people opposed the attack and helped the tourists. Innocent lives were lost in the terrorist attack, which is truly tragic. The government should respond firmly and decisively.”

Another tourist, Ambalalbhai Parmar, said, “We thank God that we have safely returned to Vadodara.”

Notably, members of the Parmar family from Waghodia Road, along with other relatives, had gone to attend Morari Bapu’s Ramkatha which was organised in Srinagar. They were stranded in Srinagar after the Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22. Since transportation had come to a halt, they missed the train departing from Jammu. Amid the shutdown declared in Srinagar, they were forced to stay confined to their hotel for two days.

Eventually, they sought help from the government and their local member of parliament. The hotel management arranged for a private vehicle, which allowed the group to leave Srinagar early in the morning on Thursday and reach Jammu by afternoon. From there, they boarded a train on Friday and arrived in Vadodara on Saturday morning.

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17 Bhavnagar residents return from Kashmir after surviving Pahalgam terror attack