'Entire nation awaits justice': Rahul Gandhi meets family of Navy officer killed in Pahalgam terror attack

NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday visited the home of Navy officer Lieutenant Vijay Narwal in Haryana's Karnal, to offer his condolences to the grieving family. Lt Narwal was among those killed in the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.

Congress MP was accompanied by senior Congress leader B K Hariprasad, who is in charge of the party's affairs in Haryana. Haryana Congress president Udai Bhan, Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda, and party leader Divyanshu Budhiraja also joined him.

After paying his respects at the officer’s home, Gandhi spent over an hour and a half with the family, including Narwal’s parents. Speaking to reporters, Hooda said Gandhi was there to console the family and share their sorrow.

Following the meeting, LoP in Lok Sabha posted on X, writing in Hindi: "I met the grieving family of Lieutenant Vinay Narwal Ji, who was martyred in the Pahalgam attack, to share their sorrow and offer condolences. Even in their immense grief, their resolve and courage send a message to the nation – we must remain united."


"The entire country stands with the families of the martyrs. The government has the full support of the opposition – the culprits must face such punishment that no one dares to cast an eye on India again," Gandhi said.

"The whole nation, alongside the affected families, is awaiting justice today," he added in his X post.

Lt Vinay Narwal, just 26 years old, had been married only three weeks before the attack. He was on a honeymoon with his wife Himanshi when terrorists shot him at close range on April 22.

Rahul Gandhi had earlier visited the family of another victim, Shubham Dwivedi, who was also among the 26 people killed in the same attack.

At that time too, he had pointed out the need for strong and decisive action against the attackers and pledged full opposition support to the government.

The April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam left 26 people dead and several others injured when terrorists opened fire on civilians in a meadow near the tourist town in Anantnag district, South Kashmir.