India mourns tragic loss of lives

Family members of naval officer Lt Vinay Narwal who was killed in Pahalgam terrorist attack, mourn at their residence in Karnal, Haryana on Wednesday. Pic: PTI

Chandigarh’s navy officer killed

Chandigarh: Married just a few days ago, 26-year-old Indian Navy officer Lieutenant Vinay Narwal was holidaying with his wife in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam when terrorists shot him dead.

Hailing from Bhusli village in Karnal district, Narwal's family was presently living in Karnal city.

The Indian Navy also confirmed Narwal's death in the terror attack.

"Adm Dinesh K Tripathi, #CNS, and all Personnel of the Indian Navy are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Lt Vinay Narwal who fell to the dastardly terror attack in Pahalgam. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family during this moment of unimaginable grief.

"The #IndianNavy also stands in solemn solidarity with all others that lost their lives in this heinous act of violence. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims' families and we pray for the swift recovery of those injured," the Navy said in a post on X.

Narwal's neighbour Naresh Bansal said the officer had recently got married.

"After the marriage, everyone was celebrating and in a happy mood. And now suddenly this sad news comes," he said about the terror attack incident.

Another neighbour Seema recalled that there were grand celebrations at his home and not just the Narwal family, but the entire neighbourhood was celebrating after the wedding.

She told reporters in Karnal that Narwal did his engineering and later cleared the exams to became an officer in the Indian Navy.

"They were planning a honeymoon in Switzerland, but decided to go to Kashmir instead taking into account the leave he had... We can't imagine what his family is going through," she said.

"We saw videos where a girl was crying and pleading with the terrorists to kill her too but they told her they were sparing her so that she can tell (PM Narendra) Modi what happened," she said without elaborating.

Navy officer remembered for cheer, dedication

Kochi: Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, the Indian Navy officer who lost his life in Tuesday's terrorist attack in Pahalgam, was remembered by his colleagues as a cheerful and dedicated officer.

"Lt Narwal was always cheerful and deeply committed to his duties," a Navy officer recalled.

The 26-year-old, a native of Haryana, had been serving at the Southern Naval Command in Kochi for the past one and a half years after joining the Navy in 2022, officials said.

He had recently gotten married, with the wedding held on April 16 and the reception three days later.

Though stationed in Kochi, Narwal was on leave and vacationing in Kashmir when he was fatally shot in the attack.

"The Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, and all personnel of the Indian Navy are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Lat Vinay Narwal, who fell victim to the dastardly terror attack in Pahalgam," the Navy spokesperson said in a post on 'X'.

"We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family during this moment of unimaginable grief. The Indian Navy also stands in solemn solidarity with all others who lost their lives in this heinous act of violence," the post added.

The Navy also expressed its thoughts and prayers for the families of the victims and wished a swift recovery to those injured.

Keralite family's holiday ends in tragedy

Kochi: Edappally native Ramachandran's love for travel, a passion shared by his wife, ended in tragedy on Tuesday when he was among the 26 tourists who were gunned down by terrorists in Kashmir's Pahalgam, and in front of his daughter who had come down from Dubai to meet her parents.

Ramachandran (65) travelled to Kashmir with his wife, daughter and grandchildren for holidaying.

He was shot dead by terrorists in front of his daughter, family sources said here on Wednesday.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's office confirmed his death in the terror attack late Tuesday but didn't divulge much details.

The shocked family members and friends, who rushed to Ramachandran's house in Edappally in the morning, said they were yet come to terms with his demise.

After working in the UAE for several years, Ramachandran returned to Kochi with his wife Sheela some years ago.

A woman relative, who could be seen fighting back her tears, said the couple went to Kashmir along with their daughter and grandchildren who arrived here from Dubai for holidaying.

She said she is still under shock and felt a shiver thinking about the tragic demise of Ramachandran.

Indore’s LIC officer shot dead

Indore: Terrorists who targeted tourists in Pahalgam asked an LIC manager from Indore, who belonged to the Christian community, to recite the 'kalma' before shooting him dead, his relatives claimed on Wednesday and demanded harshest punishment for the assailants.

Sushil Nathaniel (58), who had gone to Jammu and Kashmir with his wife, daughter and son to celebrate Easter, was among the 26 persons killed in the terror attack in Pahalgam on Tuesday.

The family's trip to have a joyful festive time together turned into a tragedy and nothing can be more saddening than this, the victim's relatives said.

Nathaniel was posted as a manager with the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) in Madhya Pradesh's Alirajpur, about 200 km from Indore, as per officials.

His cousin Sanjay Kumrawat told PTI, "We have spoken to Sushil Nathaniel's wife and son over the phone. They told us that terrorists asked Sushil's name and forced him to kneel down, they then asked him to recite the kalma. When Sushil said that he could not recite it, the terrorists shot him.'

When Nathaniel's daughter Akanksha (35) ran towards him after being scared seeing bullets fired at her father, the terrorists shot her in the leg, Kumrawat said. She is undergoing treatment in Jammu and Kashmir, he said.

Nathaniel's body will be brought to Indore from Srinagar by air.

Three killed from Bengal

Kolkata: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday confirmed that three persons from the state were killed in the terror attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam, which left 26 people dead.

Describing it to be a "grim hour" for the state, she said that her government was making all the arrangements to get family members of the victims back home from New Delhi. "As per the latest updated information made available to us, three persons from our state have died in the most unfortunate Kashmir violence," Banerjee said. The three deceased are Bitan Adhikari of Baishnabghata in Kolkata, Samir Guha of Sakher Bazar in Kolkata and Manish Ranjan of Jhalda. "All arrangements are being put up by our administration at Delhi Airport to help the family members of the victims and their onward journey to Kolkata. Flight is likely to arrive in Kolkata at 8.30 pm today," she said.

Terrorists asked man's name before shooting him

Kanpur: Shubham Dwivedi, a 31-year-old businessman from Kanpur, got married just two months back on February 12. On Tuesday, a pal of gloom descended on the Dwivedi household as news came in that he was gunned down right in front of his wife in Kashmir's Pahalgam.

Shubham, who ran a company dealing in cement, had gone to Kashmir on a week-long vacation on April 16 with his wife and nine other family members. The group, including Shubham's parents, sister, brother-in-law, and her sister's in-laws, visited Sonamarg and Gulmarg before reaching Pahalgam.

According to Manoj Dwivedi, Shubham's uncle living next-door in Kanpur, the newly-wed couple decided to go horse riding around noon on Tuesday while the rest of the family hung out near their hotel.

However, the couple's joyride soon turned into a nightmare as two to three terrorists reportedly approached them, sought to know their identities before shooting Shubham on the head, killing him instantly in front of his wife, said Manoj Dwivedi, who received the tragic news from Shubham's father Sanjay Dwivedi over phone.

According to Shubham's cousin Saurabh Dwivedi, the terrorists first asked Shubham to recite a 'kalma' (Islamic declaration of faith). As he failed to do so, they shot him on the head.