Kanpur: In a heart-wrenching tragedy, Shubham Dwivedi, a 30-year-old resident of Kanpur’s Shyam Nagar, was killed in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on Tuesday. Married just two months ago on February 12, Shubham was on a family trip to the scenic Baisaran, dubbed ‘Mini Switzerland,’ with his wife, Aishanya. The attackers, reportedly from the Lashkar-e-Taiba-linked ‘The Resistance Front,’ asked Shubham his name before fatally shooting him. The assault, which claimed 26 lives, has left his family shattered.

Shubham’s father, Dr. Sanjay Dwivedi, mother Seema, sister Aarti, and her two children stayed back in Anantnag, while Shubham and Aishanya ventured to Pahalgam around 1 p.m. for horse riding. Shubham’s uncle, Jyotishacharya Manoj Dwivedi, recounted, “Around 2:15 p.m., 2-3 terrorists in army uniforms opened indiscriminate fire. A bullet struck Shubham’s forehead, and he collapsed. Aishanya fainted from shock.” Security forces rushed them to a hospital in Kashmir, but Shubham could not be saved. Aishanya is undergoing treatment.

The devastating news reached Shubham’s father at 6:30 p.m. With police assistance, Shubham’s identity was confirmed, plunging the family into grief. A sales promoter at a cement company, Shubham was set to return home with his family on April 23. His home in Chandanpur Chakki, Maharajpur, is now crowded with mourners. The attack, the deadliest in the Valley since the 2019 Pulwama assault, has sent shockwaves through Kanpur, where the community grieves the loss of a young life cut short.

This tragedy, part of an attack that killed 26, including two foreign tourists, underscores the escalating security challenges in Kashmir. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called it “the largest civilian attack in recent years.” As investigations continue and the nation mourns, Shubham’s story highlights the profound human toll of terrorism, leaving a void in the lives of his newlywed wife and grieving family.