Chandigarh, 24 April

"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 intolerable 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. While consoling Narwal's grandfather Hawa Singh, Khattar broke into tears.

When reporters asked him about his son, Rajesh Kumar 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 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.