Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: The nation is mourning the loss of 26 lives after the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The victims, most of them tourists from across India, returned home on Thursday—not alive, but in coffins. Emotions ran high as the bodies reached their native places, wrapped in grief and national sorrow.
The tragedy, dubbed the Valley’s deadliest since Pulwama in 2019, unfolded on Tuesday in the picturesque Baisaran meadow of Anantnag, shattering the peace with gunshots and bloodshed.
Wreaths in Srinagar, Silent Funerals Nationwide
The bodies were first brought to Srinagar, where Union Home Minister Amit Shah laid wreaths in their honour. From there, they were flown across India by more than 50 flights, with 123 bereaved family members accompanying them.
Vinay Narwal: A Honeymoon Cut Short
In Haryana’s Karnal, thousands including CM Nayab Singh Saini gathered to bid farewell to 26-year-old Navy officer Vinay Narwal, who was shot point-blank in front of his wife, Himanshi. The couple had been married just a week.
Tributes from North-East to South India
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IAF Corporal Tage Hailyang from Arunachal Pradesh was honoured in Guwahati.
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Chartered Accountant Neeraj Udhwani, based in Dubai, returned home to Jaipur.
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Shubham Dwivedi, newlywed businessman from Kanpur, had gone to Kashmir with his family. His body returned to Lucknow, then to Kanpur for cremation.
A Shocking Tale from Indore
Sushil Nathaniel, an LIC manager from Indore, was reportedly asked to recite the Islamic Kalma before being killed. MP CM Mohan Yadav paid respects to the Christian victim at the airport.
Communities United in Grief
In Maharashtra, a sea of mourners gathered in Dombivli to bid farewell to three cousins — Sanjay Lele, Hemant Joshi, and Atul Mone. CM Devendra Fadnavis also attended their funeral.
In Pune, early morning flights carried the remains of Santosh Jagdale and Kaustubh Ganbote, who were vacationing with their families.
Final Journey Across States
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Karnataka: Bodies of Manjunath Rao and Bharath Bhushan were brought to Bengaluru, accompanied by Minister V Somanna and MP Tejasvi Surya.
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Odisha: Prashant Satpathy’s remains were received in Bhubaneswar; CM Mohan Majhi attended the Balasore funeral.
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Tamil Nadu & Andhra Pradesh: S Madhusudhan’s body was flown to Chennai, then transported to Nellore, his hometown.
These weren’t just names—they were newlyweds, parents, officers, professionals. Their deaths have united India in shared grief and reinforced the urgency of addressing cross-border terrorism.
