Mumbai

He went to see the 'paradise on earth' after working hard all his life, but will now return home dead, friends of 64-year-old Dilip Desle said on Wednesday while mourning his demise in the Pahalgam terror attack.

Desle's friends and acquaintances remembered him as a "gentleman with a kind and helping nature" while paying tribute to him.

A resident of New Panvel in neighbouring Navi Mumbai, Desle was among the 26 persons gunned down by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam town n Tuesday.

He and his wife were part of the Nisarg Paryatan Tours' 37-member group that had gone to visit Kashmir on Monday. Desle fell prey to the bullets of terrorists while his wife survived.

Desle retired after working in a chemicals and lubricants manufacturing company in Thane-Belapur industrial estate four years ago.

His family members, friends, neighbours and police officials visited his residence on Wednesday after the news of his death came in.

Desle's close friend Ashok Nerkar told PTI that both of them hailed from the same village at Malegaon in Maharashtra's Nashik district.

After retirement, Desle toured a couple of places but visiting Kashmir was his dream, said 60-year-old Nerkar who used to do yoga with his friend regularly.

"He worked hard throughout his life, raised his children well and supported his family, after that he decided to go on a tour, but this happened to him," he lamented.

"It is very sad, I lost my dear friend who used to share everything with us," Nerkar said.

Another friend Baliram Deshmukh said it was Desle's dream to visit Kashmir, which is called the 'paradise on earth', but he would have never thought of meeting such a tragic end.

"It is painful to comprehend what our friend might have gone through," he said.

Deshmukh sought to know where were the security forces when the terrorists came and attacked tourists randomly.

"I feel this was a pre-planned attack by terrorists," he claimed.

Terrorism should be eradicated from Kashmir and the country, Deshmukh said, adding that Pakistan, which was "supporting terrorism", should also be wiped out from the world map.

"The Jammu and Kashmir government should also be dismissed, as there were no security forces deployed in Pahalgam though it is a big and prominent tourist destination," he said.

Another friend Shirish Gadkari also said he was pained to know about the terror attack and Desle's death.

Gadkari said he met Desle on April 2, but never thought it would be their last interaction.

ALSO READ: 'Not jihad, this is a sin’: Major Shah’s blistering letter to Pahalgam attackers

The government should take stringent action against terrorists and their organisations, he said.

Desle's family members are likely to bring back the body to his residence by Wednesday evening, a police official said.