The mortal remains of Dilip Desale (64), one among the 26 tourists who died in the terrorist attack at Kashmir on Tuesday, reached his residence at Panvel on Wednesday evening. The sector 12 of Panvel wherein he resided was flooded with the residents around, politicians, media personnel and relatives. The inconsolable relatives were not in a condition to speak.
The body reached by around 5.30 pm outside their row house. Desale had gone to Kashmir with his wife Usha (56) through Nisarg Paryatan Tours which was scheduled from April 21 to April 30 and the plan was to see the tourist spots at Kashmir, Vaishno devi temple and Amritsar. “We had reached on April 21 and the next day this happened. We have been arranging tours to Kashmir since last 25 years in all seasons and this is the first time that we faced something like this. It was shocking and scary. At the time of the incident, I was down at the parking area when I received a call from one of the members informing about the incident. Somehow our tourists managed to reach down. Unfortunately we lost one among us and one is injured but is out of danger,” Priya Oak from Nisarga Paryatan Tours, said.
Desale and wife |
She further said that they are yet to decide on weather to continue the tour or come back to Maharashtra as the government had asked them to wait for their orders. “Kashmir government was extremely helpful and they arranged for the flights as well for the victim family to travel back,” she added.
Desale, retired from a private firm in Turbhe, lived with his wife. His two daughters are married while his married son stays in Pune. The neighbours of Desale remember him as a very friendly neighbour who loved cricket and Yoga. “He was known for his cleanliness, love for cricket and discipline in Yoga,” said one of the residents of the same area. Another resident said that they both belonged to Khandesh and often bonded over the stories of their hometown. “He used to often go to his hometown and would come back with some stories to share,” the resident added. Another friend of Desale who was a part of his yoga group as well noted that Desale used to join for Yoga from 6am to 8 am and would not speak a word till the yoga session gets over. “He was a very disciplined man. Government should do something about the terrorist attacks. We are very angry. His sacrifice should not go in vain,” the friend added.
The terror victims bought home |
The relatives of Desale stated that they all got to know of the incident on Tuesday evening only through news when the names flashed. It was late in the night that the police reached their residences to inform them about the incident.
Meanwhile Subodh Patil (60), retired excuse officer had gone to the trip with his wife Manik (55) and survived the attack after the bullet scratched through his arm. “I spoke to my mother but she was very disturbed and could not reveal much details. But my parents are fine and father is out of danger. I am not sure when is their departure from there,” Prachi Patil, daughter of Patil, said. Patil is a resident of Royal Heights at sector 21 of Kamothe. His son works at Mohali and would be going to Kashmir while his daughter is married. A neighbour of Patil said that they got to know of the incident from news. “We tried calling up them but their phones were not reachable. By the night, the police reached the society and arranged a conversation with Patil’s wife and we were relieved to know that they both were safe,” he said. Patil is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Srinagar.
Panvel MLA Prashant Thakur who had visited both the residents and was also at Airport with Desale family to receive the body, said, “We condemn the attack. The people of the country are very angry at what happened. Desale was a known person of his area, known for his friendliness. We are doing everything possible to help and support the aggrieved.”
