She got married to a Lieutenant in the Indian Navy and then left for Jammu and Kashmir for her honeymoon. Less than a week later, she found herself hugging her husband’s coffin, sobbing inconsolably and needing help to steady herself because of her grief – but then stood ramrod straight and gave him a farewell salute, shouting “Jai Hind”.
Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, 26, from Karnal in Haryana married Himanshi Narwal on April 16. The reception was held three days later and the couple left for Kashmir on Monday.
A day later, they were in the picturesque meadow of Baisaran near Pahalgam, enjoying ‘bhelpuri’ (a snack made of puffed rice), when a terrorist shot Lieutenant Narwal in the head. Blood splattered on her face, Himanshi could be heard saying in a video on Tuesday: “We were having bhelpuri when a man came and shot my husband.”
On Wednesday, Lieutenant Narwal’s body was brought to Delhi in a coffin and Himanshi stood beside it. “I pray that his soul rests in peace… We will make him proud in every way,” she sobbed, stopping to hug the coffin.
“It is because of him that the world is still surviving. And we should all be proud of him in every way… in every way,” she said, bowing repeatedly before the coffin – the officer’s peaked cap atop it – to pay her respects before being helped away by her family members.
She turns, appears to wipe away her tears, stands straight and composes herself before saluting her husband and saying “Jai Hind” as his colleagues from the Navy and others look on.
#WATCH | Delhi | Indian Navy Lieutenant Vinay Narwal’s wife bids an emotional farewell to her husband, who was killed in the Pahalgam terror attack
The couple got married on April 16. pic.twitter.com/KJpLEeyxfJ
— ANI (@ANI) April 23, 2025
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, who was also present, also saluted the coffin and spoke to Himanshi, condoling her loss.
Narwal, who had joined the Navy just two years ago and was posted in Kochi, was among 26 people, including an Intelligence Bureau officer, who was killed in the terrorist attack in Baisaran, which is also known as ‘mini Switzerland’ because of the stunning views from the meadow ringed by dense forests.
Lieutenant Narwal’s grandfather, Hawa Singh, told NDTV on Wednesday that he always wanted to serve the country.
“We came to Karnal from our village… he used to live in Sector 7, there was a small school. He then did his higher schooling in Delhi… When he used to see military vehicles in his childhood, he used to ask me a lot of questions,” he said.
A veteran of the Border Security Force, Mr Singh said he tried to nudge young Narwal to choose a different path.
“In fact, he used to get angry that I have worked with the BSF and he had not… I know how tough border work is… and after that I served in Haryana Police… so I told him not to go this way, because it is very difficult,” he said. But Narwal was determined.
“He was selected directly from the Services Selection Board… he joined the Navy as a Second Lieutenant and was promoted 18 months ago. He became a Lieutenant,” the proud grandfather recalled.
“Nothing can be done (to bring him back) now,” he rued.
