Sunita Jaiswal and her family had just reached the base of the Baisaran meadow trail and were negotiating horse ride prices for their journey up the scenic route when panic suddenly erupted. What was supposed to be the start of a peaceful vacation took a dangerous turn as news spread about a firing incident nearby.
“We just knew we had to leave from there as soon as possible,” Sunita told NDTV after arriving safely in New Delhi. She was among the hundreds of tourists evacuated via a special relief train that departed from Jammu Tawi, arranged for those stranded in Jammu and Kashmir.
Aditya, another tourist at the site, was also at the starting point of the hike when gunfire rang out on the other side of the trail. Initially dismissing the news, he quickly realized the gravity of the situation when he witnessed people fleeing, some of them injured.
“Within five minutes, at least 100 tempo travellers were filled with people and had left. We first came to Srinagar and from there started our journey to Jammu,” he recounted.
His group’s journey took them along the 330-kilometre Mughal Road—recently reopened after flood damage in Ramban—which links Srinagar and Jammu. However, at the final checkpoint before Jammu, they were stopped for the night. “We spent the night in parked car, woke up early the next day, and reached Jammu at 8 am to board the relief train,” Aditya said. He described a tense atmosphere, with armed forces patrolling under curfew and travelers filled with anxiety.
Another tourist, Swapnil, decided to end his trip early, returning to New Delhi ahead of schedule. “The situation was normal in Srinagar and locals were offering immense support. The security was heightened,” he noted, adding that despite the turmoil, the hospitality and composure of the locals stood out.
The sudden outbreak of violence in Pahalgam has left a deep impression on those who were present, turning what should have been a serene retreat into a race for safety.
