Rahul Gandhi visits family of Pahalgam terror attack victim Shubham Dwivedi in Kanpur, promises justice
PTC Web Desk: On the second and final day of his Uttar Pradesh visit, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi visited the family of Shubham Dwivedi, a victim of the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting took place in Kanpur, where Rahul offered condolences to Shubham’s grieving wife, Aishanya, and his father, Sanjay Dwivedi.
Aishanya, still in shock, broke down upon seeing Rahul Gandhi, who consoled her with a heartfelt embrace. Sharing the harrowing details of the attack, she recounted the traumatic moment when terrorists shot her husband in front of her eyes during a family trip. “They asked if we were Hindu or Muslim. When he said Hindu, they shot him.”
Describing the horrific sequence of events, Aishanya told Rahul Gandhi that the attack occurred on April 22 at around 2.25 pm while they were having lunch. A man in civilian clothes approached and asked their religious identity. Upon confirming they were Hindu, her husband Shubham was shot dead within seconds.
“The attack lasted for about 45 minutes,” she said, adding that, “The terrorists went person to person, asking names and killing people based on religious identity. They targeted men and told women to go and tell their government that their husbands were killed.”
When asked how the injured were evacuated, Aishanya replied that her sister dragged her down the hill. “The terrorists did not touch the women. But there was no help. I begged horse-keepers, but no one assisted us,” her sister added.
Shubham’s father, Sanjay Dwivedi, struggled to hold back tears as he recounted the trauma his family is enduring. “Half of my son’s head fell on her. You are a national leader. Please do something,” he pleaded to Rahul Gandhi.
“I have endured such pain twice. My grandmother and father both died due to terrorism. I will write to the Prime Minister, urging that Shubham be recognised as a martyr,” Rahul Gandhi said
He also mentioned his earlier demand for an all-party meeting to discuss honouring civilians who fall victim to terror. Rahul Gandhi facilitated a phone conversation between the family and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi and vowed that the perpetrators would face the harshest punishment.
Shubham Dwivedi, aged 31, was shot dead by terrorists in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley on April 22. He had married Aishanya just two months earlier and was on a vacation with 11 family members. They were scheduled to return on April 23. The attack occurred around 2.45 pm, and Shubham was killed in front of his wife.
Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi visited Amethi for the first time since the recent Lok Sabha Elections. He spent nearly two hours engaging with local students and also inaugurated an open-heart surgery operation theater at Sanjay Gandhi Hospital. He later departed for Fursatganj Airport through a back route.
However, his visit was met with protests from BJP workers, leading to minor clashes with the police. Additionally, anti-Rahul posters branding him a “supporter of terrorism” were put up at over 20 locations in Amethi, including the District Congress Office and bus stands. The police swiftly removed the posters and are reviewing CCTV footage to identify the culprits.
- With inputs from agencies
