A woman whose photo became one of the lasting images of the Pahalgam massacre last month has spoken out against the targeting of Muslims in India.
Himanshi Narwal’s comments came at an event held in Karnal, Haryana, to mark the 27th birth anniversary of her husband, Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, a naval officer slain during his honeymoon in Pahalgam on April 22.
“I do not want any hatred for anybody…. People going against Muslims or Kashmiris, we don’t want this. We want peace and only peace…,” she told reporters.
“Of course, we want justice. Of course, the people who have done wrong to him should be punished.”
Himanshi, a PhD scholar, was photographed sitting beside her husband’s corpse on the meadow where the massacre happened, with her bridal bangles on her wrist.
Since the incident, two Muslim men have allegedly been murdered for their religion in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.
A group called the Kshatriya Gau Raksha Dal claimed responsibility for the murder of Agra resident Gulfam, who was shot dead, to avenge the massacre of Hindu tourists in Kashmir.
The Jammu and Kashmir government has sent its ministers to several cities in the country to coordinate with local authorities to try and prevent hate crimes against students from the Union Territory.
Social media is abuzz with songs calling for revenge against Muslims, and for an economic boycott of Muslims as demanded by Maharashtra BJP minister Nitesh Rane.