Kashmiri driver helped Bengaluru woman, her mother, drove them to Srinagar
BENGALURU: “We were all set to leave for Pahalgam when a relative called me and informed us about a terror attack that had occurred there. We could only reach out to our driver, who, within a few hours, ensured our safety by taking us from our hotel in Gulmarg to his residence in Srinagar,” Pooja Maney, a dispute officer at an international bank and a tourist from Bengaluru, currently stuck in Srinagar, said.
Like Pooja, nearly 200 Kannadigas were left stranded in different parts of Jammu and Kashmir, after a terror attack was reported in Pahalgam, a small town in Anantnag district located on the banks of a river, on Tuesday afternoon.
Pooja, who had been planning this trip with her mother for a long time, arrived in Srinagar on April 17 with plans to stay in J&K until April 26. However, on April 22, while they were in Gulmarg and all set to leave their hotel for Pahalgam, a relative called to inform them about the terror attack. Pooja told TNIE that she was unsure about what to do and immediately called their driver, Imtiaz, for help, with whom the mother and daughter have been staying since Tuesday.
In April so far, more than 100 families from Karnataka visited J&K, according to tourist agencies in the region that TNIE contacted. Of these, about 20 families had flown back to Karnataka from Srinagar, just hours before the attack was reported, which claimed the lives of at least 28 civilians.
Tourists assumed it was a military mock drill
Namrata H, another Bengaluru resident who was on an eight-day trip to the Union Territory with her husband and son, left Pahalgam just as the terror attack unfolded. Speaking to TNIE, she said the entire mood in Kashmir shifted within hours — from peaceful to tense and uncertain.
“We had left Pahalgam when the attack happened. Since the terrorists were dressed in army fatigues, most people assumed it was a military drill. No one knew it was a terror attack,” she said. The incident, which took place around 2.45 pm, did not immediately reach many tourists due to poor internet connectivity in the region. “It was only later in the evening, when we saw roadblocks, intensified military checks and curfew being imposed, that we realised something serious had happened,” she added.
Namrata, who was at Dal Lake in Srinagar when news of the attack started surfacing, said the entire region came to a standstill. “Shops were shut, and everything fell silent. It was the locals and tourist guides who helped us. They guided my family through the checkpoints and ensured we reached the airport safely by Wednesday evening,” she said.
Many unable to get help via helplines
While the state government has now intervened to arrange a special flight for those still stranded, several tourists shared how they were caught off guard by the sudden change in the situation. With poor internet access, limited information, and road restrictions, travel became increasingly difficult for many. Many tourists also mentioned that they were unable to get help through the helplines, as they were advised to either stay where they were or take a flight via Jammu, and travel by road till Jammu.
The Karnataka Tourism Department set up a helpline shortly after the incident on Wednesday, and had received nearly 50 calls from tourists and their families by evening.
Many tourists also mentioned that they were unsure of what to do or how to reach their destinations, as the entire Kashmir region was shut down and the Jammu routes were blocked. They noted that it was the locals who helped ensure their safe travel to the airport.