Jaipur family shocked at young CA’s death in Pahalgam terror attack

Neeraj lost his life in the gruesome attack, while Ayushi, who was at the hotel at the time, survived unharmed.

A sombre atmosphere prevailed at the modest fifth-floor flat of the Udhwani family at Model Town in Jaipur’s Jagatpura area on Wednesday, as the relatives waited for the arrival of the body of young Chartered Accountant, Neeraj, who was among the 26 persons killed by terrorists near Pahalgam in south Kashmir.

Neeraj Udhwani, 33, was working with a private firm in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and had come to India with his wife, Ayushi, on vacation to attend a friend’s wedding in Shimla. The couple left for Pahalgam on a leisure trip after the function on April 21, not knowing that a tragedy awaited them at the tourist spot.

“We received the call from Ayushi last night… She was shifted to Srinagar after the terror attack and could only tell that Neeraj has been shot,” Bhagwan Das Udhwani, Neeraj’s uncle, told The Hindu at the family’s residence. Neeraj’s elder brother, an income tax inspector, immediately left for Srinagar.

Also read | Pahalgam terror attack LIVE updates

Neeraj shifted to Dubai along with his parents after completing his primary education in Jaipur. His father, Pradeep Udhwani, who established his textile business in the UAE emirate, died about 10 years ago, after which his mother, Jyoti, came back to Jaipur to stay with her elder son, Kishore, in the Model Town flat at Forest View Residency.

Neeraj lost his life in the gruesome attack, while Ayushi, who was at the hotel at the time, survived unharmed. Mr. Bhagwan Das said the body had been airlifted to Delhi in the afternoon, and would reach Jaipur by night. The cremation of the deceased will take place on Thursday.

“It was a young and happy couple planning for their bright future. Neeraj was professionally doing well as a CA and was exploring new opportunities in Dubai. This dastardly attack has snatched a bright young man from us,” Dinesh Kumar, another relative, said.

Neeraj and Ayushi were married in February 2023 and had no children. They were planning to go back to Dubai in a few days after completing their vacation.

The family members said Neeraj had gone out of hotel for some time in April 22 afternoon, while Ayushi stayed back. Ayushi heard the sounds of bullets and cries of people after some time. When she started searching for her husband, the authorities shifted her to Srinagar along with the kin of the other victims.

Neeraj’s mother, Ms. Jyoti, 65, has been inconsolable ever since she came to know of the tragedy. An overwhelming sense of grief and outrage has gripped the family members, who demanded stringent action against those who sprayed bullets on innocent tourists. “Only a swift response can prevent recurrence of such an incident,” Mr. Bhagwan Das said.

Neeraj was the only victim from Rajasthan killed in the attack. He was earlier identified as hailing from Uttarakhand in the list of deceased persons by mistake. Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma spoke to the family members over phone and expressed his condolences.

Meanwhile, a high alert was sounded in Jaipur on Wednesday in view of the ongoing visit of U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance, who cancelled his scheduled programme of visiting the City Palace in the afternoon. Mr. Vance, accompanied by his family, went to Agra for a few hours to visit the iconic Taj Mahal earlier in the day. (EOM)

Published - April 24, 2025 09:28 am IST