Among the 26 people killed in the terror attack on tourists in South Kashmir’s Pahalgam on Tuesday were individuals from across India — an Indian Navy Officer, Indian Airforce Corporal, realtor from Karnataka, an accountant from Odisha, a businessman from Kanpur and a Gulf-returnee from Kerala — many of them visiting the popular destination with their families.
Pahalgam attack victim: Indian Navy officer
Among the victims was 26-year-old Indian Navy officer, Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, who had been recently married. He was vacationing with his wife when he was fatally shot. Originally from Bhusli village in Haryana’s Karnal district, his family now resides in Karnal city. The Indian Navy mourned his loss, with Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of Naval Staff, expressing deep sorrow: “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.”
Pahalgam attack victim: Software Engineer based in the US
Another victim was Bitan Adhikary, a 40-year-old software engineer based in the United States. Bitan had returned to his hometown Kolkata with his wife Sohini and their three-year-old son for a family vacation. The family had been visiting the Baisaran area of Pahalgam, often dubbed “Mini Switzerland,” when the attack occurred. The techie, associated with TCS, had reportedly travelled to Kashmir just a week ago.
Pahalgam attack victim: Indian Air Force Corporal
Also among the deceased was Indian Air Force Corporal Tage Hailyang, a native of Arunachal Pradesh. He had been visiting Pahalgam with his wife when he was caught in the attack. Reports indicate that Corporal Hailyang was posted at the IAF base in Srinagar. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu expressed his condolences and confirmed the devastating news.
What was meant to be a time of joy and togetherness for these families has turned into a tale of grief and national mourning, underlining yet again the tragic consequences of terror that continue to plague the region.
Manjunath Rao (47), a resident of Shivamogga in Karnataka, was at the scenic meadow known as ‘Mini Switzerland’ with his wife Pallavi and their son Abhijeya (18) when gunfire erupted. In a call to a relative, Pallavi initially mistook the shots for an army exercise. Minutes later, she found Manjunath lying in a pool of blood. She recounted that he was shot in the head by a man in civilian clothes as soon as they stepped off their bus. According to her, the gunmen appeared to be targeting men in the group.
Speaking to the media, Pallavi recalled confronting the assailant: “I told him, since you’ve killed my husband, kill me too. My son said the same. But the man said, ‘I won’t kill you. Tell Modi.’”
Another victim, Prashant Satpathy (43), an accountant from Bhubaneswar, was vacationing with his wife Priyadarshini and their nine-year-old son in Balasore, Odisha. He was fatally shot in the head while disembarking from a ropeway. “We didn’t even realise what was happening. Suddenly, he was hit. There was panic everywhere,” said Priyadarshini.
In Kerala, the family of 65-year-old Ramachandran from Kochi mourned his loss. He had been riding a horse when he was shot. He was accompanied by his wife Sheela, daughter Arathi, and her children. “Arathi later identified his body at the hospital,” said Jayalakshmi, a neighbour.
Shubham Dwivedi (31), a businessman from Kanpur managing his family’s cement business, was also among the dead. Recently married, he was on his second trip with his wife Aishanya, this time joined by their extended family of 11. “They went up the mountain on horseback when the firing began. Shubham was killed on the spot,” said his cousin Saurabh Dwivedi.
Another victim, Dinesh Mirania (42) from Raipur, Chhattisgarh, was in Kashmir celebrating his wedding anniversary with his wife Neha and their children. “He called me a day before to say they’d visited Vaishno Devi. Today was their anniversary. His son had also joined them,” a friend shared.