Loss, not closure: Dombivli families weigh justice after Operation Sindoor

A poster honouring Pahalgam terror attack victims Atul Mone, Hemant Joshi and Sanjay Lele at Bhagshala Maidan in Dombivli West. File pic

In Dombivli's quiet neighborhoods, where grief has not yet faded from the air, news of Operation Sindoor arrived not as closure, but as a reminder of what was lost.

On April 22, a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, claimed the lives of three local men - Sanjay Laxman Lele, 50; Atul Shrikant Mone, 43; and Hemant Suhas Joshi, 45 - who were related.

For some, the early morning reports of missile strikes under Operation Sindoor triggered a wave of reflection and cautious conversations.

"I didn't even know what to feel when I heard about the operation," Barkha Jadhav, a local, said. "I'm glad someone's doing something. But my question remains - will those families ever get their loved ones back?"

In another nearby lane, in the Vishnu Nagar area, a 68-year-old man who knew Lele but asked not to be named, said, "This isn't just about revenge. We need to know we're safe in our own country. That's what I want for my children."

While some expressed quiet satisfaction that the government acted, others worried the strikes would only escalate tensions. "If this turns into something bigger, we'll all pay the price," said Pradeep Jadhav, a family friend of another victim. "Terrorists must be punished, but we must also ask - how were they allowed to strike in Pahalgam in the first place?"

Residents also pointed to the silence of certain officials. "We haven't even received proper condolence visits. And now we're supposed to cheer for missiles?" asked a woman from Phadke Road, whose friend's cousin died shielding others during the attack.

Despite mixed emotions, there was a shared sense that the victims' deaths must not become just another statistic. "This may be a war, but it has come with a cost for many of us. Losing a family member cannot be explained in words; it's just a feeling of helplessness. I hope no one gets to go through such things, ever," said a close family friend and neighbour of the Mone family.

For Dombivli, justice may have arrived in the form of strikes in Operation Sindoor - but healing, residents say, will take far longer. Two of the three grieving families have temporarily shifted away from Dombivli, seeking some distance from the relentless stream of visitors and media attention.

At the Lele residence, the silence felt heavier. Kavita Lele, 46, the wife of the late Sanjay Lele, is bedridden due to a long-term illness. Their only son, 20, has been hospitalised with prolonged sickness, leaving the family's apartment under the care of relatives.

"They were such a warm family," a local vendor told mid-day.