Pune Bids Emotional Farewell To Santosh Jagdale, Kaustubh Ganbote Killed In Pahalgam Terror Attack

The last rites of close friends Santosh Jagdale and Kaustubh Ganbote, who lost their lives in the Pahalgam terror attack, were performed on Thursday at the Vaikunth Crematorium in Pune’s Navi Peth. Hundreds of Punekars gathered to pay their final respects and bid an emotional farewell to Jagdale and Ganbote.

The mortal remains of Jagdale and Ganbote arrived around 5:30am at the Pune International Airport, where Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol was present to receive them.

The bodies were then taken to their respective homes in Karvenagar and Kondhwa, where people gathered to pay homage.

Ganbote, his wife Sangita; Jagdale, his wife Pragati and their daughter Asavari were holidaying in Kashmir when the terror attack upended the lives of both families.

Ganbote, who had worked hard all his life to expand his farsan business, went on a rare trip away from work—and it ended in tragedy, his friend Sunil More said.

“All his life, he was busy expanding his business. This was the first time he and his wife had decided to travel outside the city. They planned the trip with his close friend Santosh and his family. Only eight days ago, he had told me about the Kashmir plan. He was really excited,” said More, Ganbote’s childhood friend and neighbour from Rasta Peth.

Ganbote had lived most of his life in a narrow lane in Rasta Peth and had recently built a house on the Kondhwa-Saswad Road, where his farsan factory is also located, More added.

Known for his jovial and helpful nature, Ganbote was a familiar and beloved figure in his old neighbourhood. He had recently become a grandfather and was overjoyed, his friend said.

“He had a serious accident 20 years ago when the tempo he was travelling in crashed, leaving him with severe burn injuries. He used to call it his second birth,” More recalled.

Ganbote and Jagdale were close friends, and Jagdale often helped with the marketing of Ganbote’s products. Jagdale, who ran an interior designing business, also played the harmonium, said his brother Avinash. He loved travelling and exploring new places, Avinash added.