'Wanted To Feel Him One Last Time': Dressed In Husband's Shirt, Pahalgam Victim Shubham's Wife Bids Him Goodbye
Shubham Dwivedi was consigned to flames amid chants of "Pakistan Murdabad" and "Shaheed Shubham Amar Rahe" in Hathipur.
Wrapped in the shirt of her slain husband, Aishanya stood silently as the flames engulfed the pyre. Her husband, Shubham Dwivedi, the first to be killed in the barbaric Pahalgam terror attack, is now a memory and a martyr.
In his ancestral village of Kanpur’s Hathipur, thousands gathered to say final goodbye to the 31-year-old, who was draped in the tricolour. Shubham was consigned to flames amid chants of “Pakistan Murdabad" and “Shaheed Shubham Amar Rahe" on Thursday.
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Shubham was among the 26 victims killed in the gruesome terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on Tuesday, April 22. His mortal remains were flown to Lucknow late on Wednesday night, where Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak received the coffin at the airport with solemn honours.
Overwhelmed with grief, Shubham’s father Sanjay Dwivedi wept uncontrollably, clinging to the Deputy CM as hundreds stood by in silence.
A green corridor was created from Lucknow to Kanpur to ensure that Shubham’s body reached his native village swiftly. As the ambulance arrived in Hathipur, state ministers Rakesh Sachan and Yogendra Upadhyay helped carry the coffin, symbolising the state’s respect for its martyred son.
Wife’s Last Goodbye: ‘I Wore His Shirt So I Could Feel Him One Last Time’
Standing beside the pyre, Aishanya, Shubham’s young wife, held his photo close and caressed it repeatedly. Tears flowed down her face as she shared her story with reporters and state officials. “We had just stepped out to eat some Maggi," she recalled. “Then a man approached us from behind with a gun. He asked Shubham, ‘Are you Hindu or Muslim?’," she said.
“The gunmen then said, ‘If you’re Muslim, recite the Kalma.’ And then, without warning, he shot Shubham in the head. Right in front of me." She added, “He didn’t stop there. He asked me too. When I said I was Hindu, he didn’t shoot me. He said, ‘You go and tell Modi what happened here. How we killed your people.’"
“I wore his shirt today because it was his favourite. I wanted to feel him one last time. He didn’t deserve to go like this," Shubham’s inconsolable wife added.
A Mother’s Grief and a Father’s Rage
Shubham’s mother sat beside his coffin, whispering his name and occasionally bursting into gut-wrenching sobs. “Kill them like they killed my son," she cried. “They didn’t just shoot him — they destroyed my world."
His father, Sanjay Dwivedi, stood firm in front of the media. “These two-bit terrorists dared to challenge the sovereignty of our nation. The government must act now. No more condemnations, we want retribution."
The Funeral Procession
On Thursday, at around 11 am, Shubham’s body was brought out of his home, surrounded by tricolour flags and weeping relatives. His wife, Aishanya, who had clutched her husband’s shirt to her chest for two days, finally removed it before the procession began. She pressed it tightly to her heart, fell to her knees, and screamed in grief. People from across the district joined the funeral. Women sobbed. Men shouted slogans. Children watched, wide-eyed, trying to grasp the meaning of martyrdom. As the body reached Dyoḍhi Ghat, his uncle Narendra lit the pyre, while Shubham’s father, Sanjay Dwivedi, stood broken, barely able to hold back tears.
The Final Nail In Their Coffin: UP CM
A few hours before the funeral, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath arrived at Shubham’s ancestral home to pay his respects. The narrow courtyard, usually a quiet place for family gatherings, had become a hub of mourning. Women sat on mats wailing. Men stood with folded hands. Slogans demanding justice and revenge rang in the air.
CM Yogi entered the house with folded hands and a heavy expression. He approached Aishanya, who looked up from her husband’s photograph, eyes red but unwavering. “I want justice, Yogi ji," she said. “He died in front of me. Don’t let his death be forgotten. We want revenge. Please do something."
The Chief Minister held her hand and nodded solemnly. “This cowardly attack will not go unanswered," he assured her. “This will be the final nail in the coffin of terrorism. Those who carried out this act, and those who supported it, will face consequences. The entire nation stands with you," UP CM said. He sat with the family, listening to their cries and memories. He promised compensation, security, and a job for the widow.
‘We Want Revenge’
The grief that enveloped Hathipur swiftly transformed into seething rage as thousands of people gathered for Shubham Dwivedi’s final journey. What began as a solemn funeral turned into a massive outcry against terrorism and Pakistan. The air was charged with anger — raw, loud, and unrelenting. Slogans like ‘Pakistan Murdabad’, ‘We want revenge, not condolences’ and ‘We want surgical II’ reverberated through the streets of Hathipur. Be it the local shopkeepers, farmers, students, and even schoolchildren, people from all walks of life joined the chants, their voices filled with resolve and hurt.
“How long will our soldiers and youth keep dying," one man shouted, tears streaming down his face. Another added, “We won’t sit quiet this time — terrorists must be hunted and finished."
For many, this wasn’t just Shubham’s loss — it was personal, a direct attack on the nation’s soul. As slogans intensified, a collective demand arose for the government to take swift and harsh action, not just in words but through concrete, visible retaliation.
As the Army fired the ceremonial salute and the pyre was lit, a hush fell over the village. Children stood on rooftops watching silently. The elderly wept. Some stood at attention for the national anthem. Others raised their fists and roared slogans. But at the centre of it all was a young widow, draped in the scent of her husband’s last worn shirt, saying goodbye.
“This is not just the end of my world," said Aishanya, barely audible. “This is the beginning of a fight – for Shubham, for all of us."
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