MUMBAI: The Pune Mayor on Wednesday handed over a letter to Asawari Jagdale, the daughter of a victim of the Pahalgam terror attack, appointing her as an administrative officer in the Pune Municipal Corporation. TNIE had earlier reported that Asawari was running from pillar to post to secure the promised position.
Asawari, a computer graduate with a master’s degree in human resources, had been promised a government job by Amit Shah, Devendra Fadnavis, and Eknath Shinde as a gesture of condolence following the deaths of her father Santosh Jagdale and six other Maharashtra residents in the attack. The state government had also pledged financial aid and government jobs for the families of the deceased.
Chief Minister Fadnavis stated that Asawari was supposed to get the Grade III and VI government positions, but the decision was made to offer her a Grade II position as an administrative officer in the Pune Municipal Corporation. The appointment letter was formally handed over by Mayor Nagpure.
Amit Shah, who had visited her family shortly after the attack, had promised government support, including a job, a bravery award, and a memorial for the victims.
NCP SP Lok Sabha Supriya Sule had expressed her “surprise and deep regret” on X (formerly Twitter) that, despite the Chief Minister’s personal assurances and Asawari’s strong educational qualifications, the administrative process had been delayed for over ten months.
Sule said that the Jagdale family is currently facing severe financial and emotional hardship, as Santosh was the sole breadwinner of the household.
Sule noted that while political leaders across the spectrum, including the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Ministers, had initially offered support, the lack of follow-through has left the family running “from pillar to post” in pursuit of justice.
“The government can certainly show at least this much sensitivity towards families who lost their loved ones in the Pahalgam attack,” Sule remarked.