Pahalgam attack: Terrorists asked Kanpur bizman's name before shooting him in front of wife

Shubham Dwivedi, a 31-year-old businessman from Kanpur, got married just two months back on February 12. On Tuesday, the Dwivedi household was rocked as news came in that Shubham was gunned down right in front of his wife in Kashmir's Pahalgam.

Shubham was among the 26 persons, mostly tourists, who were killed at Baisaran meadow near the resort town of Pahalgam in Anantnag district, in one of the most gruesome attacks targeting civilians in Kashmir in a long time.

Shubham, who ran a company dealing in cement, had gone to Kashmir on a week-long vacation on April 16 with his wife and nine other family members.

The group, including Shubham's parents, sister, brother-in-law, and her sister's in-laws, visited Sonamarg and Gulmarg before reaching Pahalgam, sources said.

According to Manoj Dwivedi, Shubham's uncle living next-door in Kanpur, the newly-wed couple decided to go horse riding around noon on Tuesday while the rest of the family hung out near their hotel.

However, the couple's joyride soon turned into a nightmare as two to three terrorists reportedly approached them, sought to know their identities before shooting Shubham on the head, killing him instantly in front of his wife, said Manoj Dwivedi, who received the tragic news from Shubham's father Sanjay Dwivedi over phone.

According to Shubham's cousin Saurabh Dwivedi, the terrorists first asked Shubham to recite a 'kalma' (Islamic declaration of faith). As he failed to do so, they shot him on the head, Saurabh told mediapersons.

After killing Shubham, one of the terrorists reportedly turned to his wife and said, “Tell your government what we did to your husband,” Saurabh said.

The grieving family was scheduled to fly back to Delhi on Wednesday after completing their trip. Their relatives from Kanpur have left for the capital to receive the family and bring back Shubham's body to his hometown.

District Magistrate Jitendra Pratap Singh, along with the commissioner of police, met the bereaved relatives of Shubham on Wednesday, and assured them of all possible assistance.

After conveying the deep concern expressed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to Manoj Dwivedi, Singh told PTI, “I got a call from the chief minister, who took details of the victim and his family. The chief minister instructed me to visit to the victim's ancestral village in this hour of grief. We have been directed to ensure that the family gets all possible support.

Accompanied by the police commissioner and other officials, Singh spent over half-an-hour with the grieving family.

“Though no words are enough in this hour of grief, I have assured the family that the chief minister and the district administration are taking all steps to bring back Shubham's body to Kanpur,” Singh said.

DCP (East) Shrawan Kumar Singh said necessary instructions have been given to police to assist the grieving family in this difficult time.