Wedding Anniversary Turns Tragic As Raipur Businessman Killed In Pahalgam Attack

Raipur-based businessman Dinesh Mirania was celebrating his wedding anniversary with his family members during their vacation in Kashmir's Pahalgam, when the happy occasion turned into a tragedy as he was killed by terrorists in front of his wife and two children.

The anniversary celebration and a religious event were part of a long-awaited excursion plan for the Mirania family, said a family member on Wednesday.

"Dinesh ji was my brother-in-law's brother. Yesterday, at around 5.30 pm we were informed that he had been shot. When we inquired, by 9.30 pm we got to know that he had been taken to a hospital and later learnt about his death. His wife was slightly injured, but is safe," said Amar Bansal, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and a relative of the Mirania family.

"He (Mirania) had gone to participate in a Bhagwat Katha event. It was also his wedding anniversary that he had planned to celebrate in the valley when this tragic incident happened," he added.

Sudhir Agrawal, another relative of the family, said that around 6 pm on Tuesday he received a call from Mirania's son who told him about the incident.

"He told me that there had been a terror attack followed by a stampede. We learnt that they asked what the names of the tourists were, let the women and children go and then shot the victims," said Agrawal, who is married to the niece of the person who died.

"Mirania had three brothers. All of them live in Raipur. He was killed after terrorists asked his name," he added.

State Revenue Minister Tank Ram Verma, who visited his house here, said Mirania's body will be brought to Raipur in the evening.

The other family members will also fly back home in the evening, he added.

"We all condemn this cowardly attack. Not only the city but the entire country is mourning the incident. This is very inhuman, asking a person about his religion and then shooting him! Those who have killed the citizens of our country will have to pay for it," Verma said.

The terror attack at Baisaran, a prime tourist location in Pahalgam in south Kashmir, on Tuesday left at least 26 people dead and several others injured.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)