Pahalgam attack: Navy officer, married six days ago, given adieu by spouse in Haryana

Chandigarh, April 23 (IANS) Indian Navy officer Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, who got married just six days ago, was given a heartfelt farewell by his wife Himanshi on Wednesday evening in Haryana’s Karnal town by embracing his coffin wrapped in the Tricolour.

The young officer was laid to rest with full state honours. The 26-year-old Navy officer got married on April 16. He was among 26 people killed in the Pahalgam terrorist attack in Kashmir.

The couple was on honeymoon in Pahalgam when the tragedy occurred. His wife, Himanshi, hails from Gurugram.

As Lieutenant Narwal’s body reached Delhi earlier in the day, his wife clutched his coffin and broke down in grief.

“We will be proud of him every day... we should be proud of him,” she said, her choked voice with tears rolling down.

“I pray that his soul rest in peace. He has the best life wherever he is, and we will make him proud in every way. It is because of him that we are still surviving,” she said.

Their wedding reception was solemnised on April 19.

Hailing from Bhusli village in Karnal district, Lieutenant Narwal was currently living in Sector 7 in Karnal city. The mortal remains was brought to his hometown late in the evening, where the last rites were performed.

Lieutenant Narwal had joined the Navy three years ago. He’s survived by his father Rajesh Narwal, an employee in the Excise Department, his mother Asha Narwal, his sister Srishti, and his grandfather Hawa Singh, a retired police officer.

Lieutenant Narwal’s next-door neighbour, Seema, told the media that Vinay got married with great celebrations.

“The festivities went on for 10 days. He was a lovely boy. He did engineering and later cleared the Navy exam to become a Class I officer. They were planning a honeymoon in Switzerland, but since he couldn’t get leave, they went to Kashmir instead. It all happened so suddenly, like someone’s evil eye struck them.”

“We got the news last night. I can’t imagine what his family is going through. His twin sister and father have gone to bring his body back.”

“We saw videos where a girl was crying and saying that she pleaded with the terrorists to kill her too, but they told her ‘we are sparing you so you can go tell Modi what happened',” she added.

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini spoke to Lieutenant Narwal’s grandfather through a video call and assured the family that the state stands firmly with them in this hour of sorrow.

Assembly Speaker Harvinder Kalyan, Karnal MLA Jagmohan Anand, and Mayor Renu Bala Gupta also visited the family to pay their respects.

Former state Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupinder Hooda said a strong and decisive counterattack is needed against the perpetrators of the attack.

Punjab Finance Minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Harpal Cheema reached Karnal and paid tribute to Lieutenant Narwal. Addressing the media, Cheema expressed deep sorrow over the loss of a brave son of the nation.

“The Modi government must deliver a fitting response to foreign forces, including Pakistan, for their continued support of terrorism. Tough measures are needed to prevent such cowardly acts and to protect the lives of our citizens and brave soldiers,” he asserted.

Referring to the unprecedented targeting of tourists in the attack, Cheema called the incident a tragic and alarming escalation.

“This is the first time tourists have been specifically targeted, and it is an extremely unfortunate incident. The government must act swiftly and decisively to ensure the safety of all citizens and visitors,” he added.

At least 26 tourists were killed on Tuesday after gunmen opened fire on innocent civilians in Baisaran in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to eyewitness accounts, a group of heavily armed terrorists emerged from the nearby forests and opened indiscriminate fire on civilians, most of whom were tourists.

Baisran is a small meadow three to four km from the Pahalgam market, and tourists take horses to reach the place as there is no motorable road to it.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday morning after cutting his Saudi Arabia trip short due to the terror attack.

He had a brief meeting with NSA Ajit Doval, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri at the airport. PM Modi strongly condemned the terror attack on Tuesday, stating that the guilty will be brought to justice and reaffirming India’s “unshakable” resolve to fight terrorism.

--IANS

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