Chandigarh, Apr 24 (PTI) “He was a very good child…He died like a brave soldier,” Indian Navy officer Lt Vinay Narwal’s father said about his son, who was among the 26 people killed in the Pahalgam terror attack.

“It is a mountain of sorrow. Unrepairable, unbearable and untolerable loss for me and my family,” he said Thursday about the tragic loss.

However, he added that the entire country is standing with his family and families of others who lost their lives in the Pahalgam incident on Tuesday.

Married just about a week ago, 26-year-old Narwal, accompanied by his wife Himanshi, was on a honeymoon in Pahalgam when terrorists shot him at point blank. His last rites were held in Karnal last evening.

Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar went to meet the bereaved family in their home in Karnal on Thursday. While consoling Narwal’s grandfather Hawa Singh, Khattar broke into tears.

When reporters asked Narwal’s father Rajesh Kumar about his son, he said when Narwal was into the third year of his engineering, he expressed desire to join the defence forces as an officer.

Although he was keen to become a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force, ultimately he secured a job in the Indian Navy after clearing the exam in his first attempt, he said.

“He was a dashing officer, outstanding and a brilliant student,” said Kumar, a government employee.

He also complimented the Jammu and Kashmir government and the local administration there for extending all required help after the incident.

Vinay Narwal’s sister Srishti said her brother was everything to her and will always remain so.

On Thursday, scores of people reached Narwal’s home to offer condolences.

Just days before the Pahalgam incident, relatives, neighbours and others had been thronging Narwal’s Karnal residence to be part of the joyous occasion of the young Naval officer’s marriage.

Speaking to reporters after meeting the Narwal family, Khattar, while strongly condemning the terror attack incident, said, “Today the countries of the world are standing with us against terrorism in this matter and India will definitely do whatever is necessary to suppress terrorism and to take revenge of these incidents.” Kumar, when asked what message he has for Pakistan and those indulging in incidents of terror, said, “This is a matter pertaining to my country and the government is doing its job.” Khattar, who is BJP MP from Karnal and former Haryana chief minister, said he strongly condemns the terror attack incident, which he called “shameful”.

“This is unbearably sad that we lost our brave officer. The incident has saddened us all,” he said.

All political parties have strongly condemned the Pahalgam incident. There is anger among countrymen pertaining to the terrorist attack incident, he said.

People of Kashmir have also strongly expressed their condemnation of the incident and they are also not going to tolerate such incidents, he said.

Meanwhile, Congress MPs from Rohtak and Ambala, Deepender Singh Hooda and Varun Chaudhary also went to meet the bereaved family in Karnal.

Speaking to reporters later, Hooda said the Pahalgam terror incident has shaken the entire country.

He said those who carried out the act and those behind it are the “enemies of the country and humanity”.

“As an opposition MP, I want to say the entire country is united. This is not an attack on Lt. Vinay Narwal or other citizens who were killed in the incident, but it was an attack on our country and India knows how to respond,” Hooda said.

Rajya Sabha member Kartikeya Sharma also met the bereaved family.

He later said the incident, which was carried out by the enemies of the nation, is extremely inhumane.

“It is filled with brutality…I believe the Centre will give a very fitting response and those who have carried out the act will have to pay a heavy price,” he added.

Meanwhile, a group of NCC students reached Karnal carrying a portrait of Vinay Narwal and handed it over to the Navy officer’s father. PTI SUN ZMN