Jaipur, 24 April

He came from Dubai to attend a wedding and on an impulse decided to go holiday in Kashmir. On Thursday, the last rites of 33-year-old Neeraj Udhwani were conducted, a life story of promise that ended in a hail of terrorist bullets in a meadow in Pahalgam.

Heart-rending scenes were witnessed as his elder brother Kishore Udhwani lit the funeral pyre at Moksh Dham in Jhalana, with Neeraj's inconsolable wife Ayushi struggling hard to hold back her tears.

Neeraj, who had been working as a chartered accountant in Dubai, was shot dead by terrorists along with 25 others, mostly tourists, in Kashmir's Pahalgam on Tuesday.

The 33-year-old was gunned down in front of his wife, who called her brother-in-law Kishore to inform him about the tragedy.

His body was brought to Jaipur on Wednesday night.

Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagade, Chief Minister Bhajajlal Sharma, Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani, deputy chief ministers Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot and state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra, among others, visited Neeraj’s residence in Jaipur’s Model Town and expressed their condolences on Thursday morning.

“The entire country condemns this heinous act. Every ounce of blood will be avenged. The Centre has taken some tough decisions and more such measures will follow. The Centre and the state government stand with Neeraj’s family in this hour of grief,” Chief Minister Sharma said.

As a large number of mourners gathered at the Udhwani residence to express their grief, a woman from the crowd voiced her anger by saying, “This is your government's failure. What is the point of deploying security here now?”

In response, Shekhawat was seen standing with folded hands, acknowledging the grief and anger of the people.