Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, a 26-year-old Navy officer from Karnal, Haryana, was among the 26 victims (the number is rising) of the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Vinay had just begun a new chapter in life—he got married on April 16 and was on his honeymoon with his wife, Himanshi, when the heartbreaking incident took place. Himanshi is originally from Gurugram, and the couple had celebrated their wedding reception just a few days earlier, on April 19.
Vinay belonged to Bhusli village in Karnal district but had been living in Sector 7 of Karnal city. He had joined the Navy three years ago and was proudly serving the nation. Lieutenant Vinay Narwal was known for his dedication to duty and calm nature. Apparently, his untimely death has left his family, friends, and fellow officers in deep shock and grief. Nobody, absolutely nobody, could have imagined that happening. What was meant to be a beautiful start to his happily ever-after life ended in a gruesome tragedy.
This nation has lost several heroes, and he will always be remembered as one of them. The loss of Lieutenant Narwal is not just a personal one for his loved ones but also a national one as India mourns yet another hero.
Closed ones mourning the loss of Lieutenant Narwal
"We were just having bhelpuri... and then a gunman shot my husband. The gunman said my husband was not a Muslim and then shot him," the officer's wife said.
Lieutenant Narwal's next-door neighbor, 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.
Another neighbour said, "He was married just a few days back; four days ago it was his reception and there was a celebration all over here. Today, we come to know that terrorists have killed him."
Initial reports said Lieutenant Narwal was shot in the chest, neck, and left arm and was brought dead to the hospital. A defence spokesperson said the Indian Navy officer was killed in the Pahalgam terror attack while on leave.