Pahalgam terror attack: Swiss visa rejection led newly-wed Naval officer to a nightmare honeymoon in Pahalgam

Tragic honeymoon in Pahalgam ends in terrorism for Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, sparking grief and calls for justice.

Jammu and Kashmir was not on the original list of honeymoon locations for Lieutenant Vinay Narwal and his wife Himanshi. The duo planned to go Switzerland, but when their visa was rejected, they ended up at Pahalgam instead. Six days after tying the knot, their idyllic holiday in ‘mini Switzerland’ ended in tragedy, when Vinay was killed by terrorists in Tuesday’s attack.

“Getting the leave sanctioned for the Switzerland trip was not a big deal. But they had to alter their plans due to refusal of visas,” said Vinay’s grandfather Hawa Singh, adding that his grandson would still have been with them if only he had been granted a Swiss visa.

The couple left their Karnal Sector 7 home on April 21, two days after the wedding reception party, to take the flight to Jammu and Kashmir from Delhi. On their way to the airport, the duo visited Himanshi’s parents at their Gurugram Sector 47 home and spent a few hours with them.

The couple was having snacks when the terrorists descended on the picturesque Baisaran Valley, also known as ‘mini Switzerland’, and shot Vinay dead.

In a video that went viral in the aftermath of the attack, Himanshi can be heard telling locals that a man had shot her husband. “I was eating bhelpuri and my husband was standing by my side. A man came and shot him. The man said he [Vinay] was not a Muslim, and shot him,” Himanshi says in the video, recounting the horror.

Vinay went to school in Karnal before shifting to Delhi for higher education. He was always fascinated by the armed forces, and wanted to serve his country, according to his relatives. The 26-year-old officer had joined the Navy three years ago and was promoted over a year back.

Speaking to journalists at the family’s Karnal residence, one of Vinay’s relatives Raghubir Singh said he could not put his grief into words. “I want that Pakistan should be taught such a lesson that it does not even think of sending terrorists to India. It should be ruined,” said the elderly man. Soon after the news of the attack broke, Vinay’s father, sister and in-laws rushed to Pahalgam.