A daughter and wife of former naval chiefs has praised the widow of naval officer Lt Vinay Narwal, who was gunned down in the Pahalgam terror attack, for speaking out against “hate and targeting of Muslims and Kashmiris”.
In an open letter, Lalita Ramdas — the widow of late Admiral L. Ramdas and the daughter of late Admiral R.D. Katari — hailed Himanshi as the “perfect Fauji wife” for showing remarkable strength and stoicism while appealing for peace.
In the wake of reports of attacks on Muslims — especially Kashmiris — across the country, Himanshi told reporters in Karnal, Haryana, on Thursday: “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…. Of course, we want justice. Of course, the people who have done wrong to him should be punished.”
She faced Right-wing backlash on social media for her conciliatory stand towards Muslims.
Lalita, who lives in Telangana’s Secunderabad, wrote: “I am so proud of you as I watch the clip of your words to the press, over and over again. Your extraordinary strength, composure and conviction when you speak out against hate and targeting of Muslims and Kashmiris after the horrific killing of so many innocent men in Pahalgam on the 22nd is truly remarkable! And so badly needed in our times.”
She added: “You are the perfect Fauji wife Himanshi, true to the spirit of the service, the Constitution and to our secular values. You are clearly a woman who knows her mind, and there could not have been a more courageous partner of a Navy man like Vinay. You have echoed the thoughts and feelings of every thinking citizen of this country.”
On social media, Himanshi’s comments were contrasted with those of Aishanya, the widow of Kanpur resident Shubham Dwivedi, who was also slain in the April 22 attack.
A distraught Aishanya told a news channel: “Don’t say that Hindus and Muslims should unite…. It is a big slap on our faces that this slogan of Hindu-Muslim unity has been finished.
“If we were Muslims, we would have reached home safely.... We were foolish (to think) that it is important only to be Indian. It is important to be Hindu…. But you aren’t safe anyway.”
Syed Adil Hussain Shah, a local ponywallah, was among the 26 people killed in Pahalgam. He was shot dead while trying to snatch a rifle from one of the assailants. Two Christians — IAF Corporal Hailyang from Arunachal Pradesh and Sushil Nathaniel from Madhya Pradesh — were also gunned down.
The first casualty in a counter-terrorist operation in Udhampur soon after the terror attack was Havildar Jhantu Ali Shaikh from Bengal’s Krishnanagar.
Arathi, daughter of one of the victims — N. Ramachandran from Kerala — told reporters after the incident that two Kashmiri taximen, Mussafir and Samir, had gone out of their way to help her.
“I had to wait in front of the mortuary till 3am and later return at 6am. During this time, they accompanied me like their own sister. At the airport, I told them that I got two brothers from Kashmir. I also told them that Allah would save them,” she said.
