"We don’t want people going after Muslims and Kashmiris,” Himanshi Narwal said on Thursday, stoic but firm as she mourned her husband, Naval officer Lt Vinay Narwal, who was gunned down in Pahalgam just 10 days ago. He would have been 27 today.
Narwal's mother and wife, Himanshi, broke into tears as tributes were being paid to the naval officer at a blood donation camp organized in Karnal, the town where he grew up.
“We want peace and justice. People who have done wrong to him should be punished,” said Himanshi, who got married to Lt. Narwal just a week before the April 22 terror attack.
The couple was on their honeymoon in Pahalgam when terrorists shot the naval officer at point-blank.
Wiping tears off her face, Himanshi offered floral tributes to her late husband and blew a kiss to his photograph. The naval officer’s mother also kissed her son’s photo and paid him respect with folded hands.
Narwal's sister, Shristi, expressed her gratitude to people who participated in the blood donation camp.
"I want to thank everyone who travelled from far to come here to donate blood. We have been receiving messages too. People have responded enthusiastically (to the blood donation camp). The government has also done a lot," Shristi said.
The camp was organized by the Karnal-based NGO National Integrated Forum of Artists and Activists (NIFAA). Various speakers, while addressing the gathering, said the late officer dedicatedly served his nation while in service and will continue to live in everyone's hearts forever.
"A youth who was supposed to serve the country for many years was snatched away by terrorism. A soldier on the battlefield ground saves people's lives by shedding blood. We are today donating blood in his honor to save people's lives," Chairperson of NIFAA Pritpal Singh Pannu said.
One of the attendees who donated blood at the camp said, “The nation will always be grateful to Narwal for his sacrifice. We can only pay our tributes by donating our blood, but nobody can fill the void created by his death.” BJP MLA from Karnal, Jagmohan Anand, was also present.
Narwal was among the 26 people, mostly tourists, gunned down by terrorists at the Baisaran meadows in Pahalgam on April 22, in one of the worst terror attacks on civilians in Kashmir in the past many years.