'Your govt failed us’: Pahalgam victim Niraj Udhwani's family tells Union minister

JAIPUR: Sorrow and anger among family members of Niraj Udhwani, the 32-year-old who tragically lost his life in the terrorist attack at Pahalgam, burst out Thursday morning when Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat arrived to pay his respects. One family member confronted the minister, expressing frustration at the Union govt's failure to provide safety for its citizens.
"It is the result of the failure of your govt," the woman family member said, tersely pointing out that the many layers of security cordon surrounding the family's apartment building was now pointless.
As dignitaries including Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and former CM Ashok Gehlot gathered to offer condolences, the Udhwani family remained engulfed in their grief. Niraj's mother, 61-year-old Jyoti, and his wife Ayushi, 30, were inconsolable, surrounded by relatives at the Mokshdham crematorium in Jhalana. The atmosphere was a mix of mourning and simmering anger, as family members prepared to say their final goodbyes.
During the somber funeral, Niraj's elder brother Kishore, an income tax inspector, lit the pyre, while Ayushi clung to the memory of her husband, sobbing softly as she whispered her farewells. Relatives gently led her away, trying to comfort her in the moment of despair.
Ayushi's heartbreak was palpable as she repeatedly turned back towards the body, reluctant to leave her husband's side. The couple had settled in Dubai and returned to India on April 16 to celebrate a wedding in Shimla before heading to Kashmir on April 21.
The next evening, Ayushi reached out to Kishore, frantically reporting that Niraj had been shot and rushed to the hospital. The family's nightmare unfolded further when Wednesday night, his body was transported to Jaipur under tight security, a haunting reminder of the violence that had shattered their lives.