‘I called him bhaiya, he asked about religion, shot him seconds later’: Pahalgam victim Shubham Dwivedi's wife bids him farewell wearing his shirt

KANPUR: It was a poignant souvenir of her late husband. Newlywed Aishanya bid a tearful farewell to her husband Shubham Dwivedi on Thursday, wearing his sky-blue shirt — which she had been wearing since her husband's killing in Pahalgam. After the funeral procession left the house in the afternoon, Aishanya took off the shirt and clung to it, crying inconsolably.
Even as the evening fell, the shirt remained carefully folded on Aishanya's lap. Her mother shared that Shubham showered her daughter with immense love and respect. The couple had got married in Feb this year. Shubham, 31, was cremated with full state honours in Kanpur, which was marked by solemn dignity and public solidarity.
Tears flowed down Aishanya's face as she recalled the Tuesday horror. "We gave an order for Maggi, then Shubham and I sat down (in the meadows). Dad was also in the bathroom. At that time, one person came from behind and he asked, 'Are you a Hindu or Muslim?' If you are a Muslim, then you first read the Kalma'. I jokingly asked what happened ‘bhaiya' (brother), and then he asked me too if I was Hindu or Muslim. I said I was Hindu. Immediately, he shot Shubham in the head," recalled the 27-year-old woman.
Earlier in the day, when Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited Shubham's residence in Kanpur, Aishanya demanded a 'befitting reply' to the terrorists. Yogi reiterated govt's commitment to a zero-tolerance policy and said govt will crush the venomous fangs of terror with absolute resolve. He spoke with Shubham's father and listened attentively to Asihanya as she recounted the Pahalgam massacre.
"The terrorists and their handlers will be punished for the barbarity inflicted upon Hindu women, stripping them of their ‘sindoor' in an act of inhuman cruelty. There should be no doubt about this," he said. The CM was seen wiping his moist eyes as he left the Dwivedi house after meeting the bereaved family and paying his tributes to Shubham.
Speaking to reporters, Shubham's father Sanjay Dwivedi said, "He (terrorist) told my daughter-in-law that he was sparing her life to send a message to (PM) Modi."
Aishanya's brother-in-law, Saurabh, expressed hope that govt would take strict action against such terrorists.
Despite rising mercury, streams of common residents from across the city reached Dydhi Ghat on the banks of Ganga for Shubham's last rites to be a part of the tearful farewell. People climbed up the terrace of houses along the route through which the mortal remains of Shubham were taken to reach the Ghat. Many people were seen carrying "Stop Terrorism" posters in their hands.
There was a total closure of city markets as a mark of protest against the terror attack.