Operation Sindoor: ‘My father’s soul must be at peace now’ says the 21-year-old son of Pahalgam victim

Three maternal cousins in Dombivali were shot dead in the Pahalgam terror attack. Their families said they were happy with the Indian government’s Operation Sindoor.

Security personnel keep vigil amid high alert after India struck nine terror targets in Pakistan and PoK. (Photo: PTI)

4 min readMumbaiMay 7, 2025 07:15 PM IST First published on: May 7, 2025 at 04:09 PM IST

“Baba ki atma ko ab shanti mili hogi (my father’s soul must be at peace now),” says Harshal, the 21-year-old son of Dombivali resident Sanjay Laxman Lele, who was gunned down in the Pahalgam terror attack last month.

Harshal criticised the April 22 attack that claimed 26 lives and praised the Indian government’s decision to launch Operation Sindoor and target terrorist infrastructure at nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Harshal’s father, Sanjay, and two of his cousins, Hemant Joshi and Atul Mone, were touring Jammu and Kashmir along with their families when the Pahalgam terror attack took place. All three were killed in the attack.

Harshal Sanjay Lele (Express Photo)

“One of my uncles had urged them to allow us to leave. But they showed no mercy and shot him dead. Similarly, my other uncle and my father were killed,” said Harshal, seated in his house at Vijayshree Cooperative Housing Society in Dombivali (West).

Harshal, who had also sustained a minor bullet injury on his finger, said, “Yesterday night I got to know about the air strike on terror camps. We are happy…the souls of my father, two uncles and all the deceased can now rest in peace. Families of the deceased are happy and satisfied with this action. We have also got support from the political parties.”

“We are happy and satisfied. More such actions should take place. Like this, 1,000 terrorists should be killed, and they should be destroyed completely,” an emotional and angry Harshal said.

Atul’s wife, Anushka, said she was thankful to the Indian government. “The souls of the three deceased would have found peace. The government should end terrorism at its roots,” she said. Daughter Richa added, “We are happy that Indians have taken such action so quickly.”

Reacting to Operation Sindoor, Hemant’s wife, Monica, said emotionally, “We respect the action taken by the government. My family is in grief. We cannot say much at this stage, but we are satisfied with the action and respect it.” Hemant and Monica had gone to Kashmir for a tour with their son, Dhruv, 16.

Jayant Bhave (Express Photo)

Hemant’s father-in-law, Jayant Bhave, also praised the “appropriate” action. “We were waiting for this action. I believe this is a true tribute to the three people who lost their lives. This action will definitely help in reducing terrorism,” Bhave said.

Three brothers were shot point-blank

Maternal cousins Atul Mone, Sanjay Lele and Hemant Joshi and their families had left Dombivali for Kashmir on April 20. They first went to Ahmedabad by train and took a flight to Kashmir from there. Atul was travelling with his wife Anushka, 35, and daughter Richa, 18. Sanjay was with his wife Kavita, 46, and son Harshal, 21, and Hemant, 46, was travelling with his wife, Monica, 44, and son, Dhruv, 16.

Richa Mone and Anushka Mone (Express Photo)

According to Atul’s kin, the terrorists shot him in the stomach, Sanjay in his head and Hemant in his chest. After their bodies were brought to Dombivali from Kashmir, thousands of people gathered to pay respects to them and support the families. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and MP Shrikant Shinde also paid their respects. Later, a funeral procession was carried out, and the last rites were performed at a crematorium in Dombivali (East).

# Pahalgam