‘He used to watch LOC-Kargil, say he would also come home wrapped in tricolour’: Lt Vinay Narwal’s sister remembers Pahalgam terror attack victim

Narwal and his wife Himanshi, who had got married just a week before the terror attack, were on their honeymoon in Pahalgam when terrorists shot the Naval officer dead at point blank range.

Besides Himanshi and Srishti, Narwal’s father Rajesh Kumar, mother Asha Devi, grandfather Hawa Singh, their family members and several senior BJP leaders joined the prayer meeting arranged by the Narwal family at D Mangal Sen Auditorium. Himanshi and Hawa Singh saluted Vinay’s portrait on the occasion.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini’s wife Suman Saini, Legislative Assembly Speaker Harvinder Kalyan, and several others attended the prayer meeting.

On the occasion, Srishti recalled her relationship with Vinay and said, “I had to carry the pyre of my brother in whose lap I grew up playing. In the last 12-13 days in this grief, our family has got support from many people. This shows people’s immense love for Vinay. He was my brother. I had never dreamt that I would have to light the pyre of the man who always kept me away from the firecrackers. He was the man who could never see even a drop of tears in my eyes.”

“While I am crying today, he is nowhere near to hold me. I still can not believe that he is not among us. He loved to play pranks. Whenever he came home on holiday, he never informed our grandfather. He used to come late in the night and sleep in their room. They would only find him around when they woke up. He loved to surprise us. Today, I can not believe what happened to us. But, maybe it is God’s wish,” she said.

“Today, the entire country knows Vinay by his uniform and martyrdom; we know him by heart. It feels as if somebody has amputated a part of my body,” Srishti added.

Lauding Himanshi for her courage, Suman Saini said, “Himanshi is a very courageous daughter. I cannot not describe in words what she must be going through. I can only say that every family should have a son like Vinay Narwal. He sacrificed his life for our nation. I will call him a martyr.”

Earlier, urging people not to “go after Muslims and Kashmiris”, Himanshi prayed for “peace” while emphasising “justice” for her husband.

“We don’t want people to go after Muslims and Kashmiris. We want peace and only peace. Of course, we want justice. The people who have wronged him should be punished,” Himanshi had said.