'They killed him': Wife of Pahalgam terror victim recalls horror

Kanpur: As the nation mourns the loss of 26 victims in the Pahalgam terror attack, Kanpur is engulfed in sorrow. Shubhaam Dwivedi, one of those killed, was laid to rest in his native village on Thursday morning. His wife Eshanaay, who survived the brutal attack, recounted the chilling moments that led to her husband's death.

Terror strikes

On April 22, Shubham and his family had stopped for a meal in the Baisaran valley, also called 'mini Switzerland', during their visit to Pahalgam. According to Eshanaay, just after they had ordered Maggi and settled down to eat, a man appeared and asked about their religion.

'Are you Hindu or Muslim?'

“The man came from behind and asked, ‘Are you a Hindu or Muslim?’ Then he said, ‘If you are Muslim, first read the Kalma.’ We were shocked. I didn’t know what was happening,” she recalled. “They asked me whether he is Hindu or Muslim. I said Hindu. They shot him. The first shot hit him.”

Terrorists spared wife to send message to PM Modi

Sanjay Dwivedi, Shubham’s father, said the family was targeted while stopping at a restaurant 7 km before reaching their destination. He added that the attackers spared Eshanaay, telling her they were letting her live so she could carry their message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “My daughter-in-law begged them to kill her too, but they refused,” he said.

‘Make sure their seven generations are scared’

In a strong appeal for justice, Sanjay Dwivedi demanded the harshest punishment for the attackers. “Strict action should be taken. Action should be so severe that their seven generations would never dare to kill anyone again,” he told ANI after meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Srinagar.