A day after Indian Naval officer Vinay Narwal, 26, was cremated with full military honours in Karnal, his father Rajesh Narwal spoke to the media on Thursday and disclosed how his son, an engineer, aimed to become a fighter pilot, but wasn’t selected due to his height.
“He was outstanding in his studies throughout his schooling. He then pursued engineering and like every parent, we also thought he would become an engineer. But as his third year of the course started, he told me that he was not willing to work in the private sector and wanted to join government service particularly in the defence,” he said.
Rajesh, an officer with the Haryana government’s GST department in Panipat, further said that his son tried his luck in the Indian Air Force (IAF) and become a fighter pilot.
“He was not selected due to his height and this happened twice. So ultimately, he decided to join Indian Navy and cleared it in first attempt,” he added.
Family members said that as he couldn’t clear the Combined Defence Services (CDS) examination, he took the Services Selection Board (SSB) to get into Navy nearly three years ago and Kochi was his first posting.
Rajesh said that his daughter-in-law witnessed the whole massacre and like any other human being, it will be hard to forget throughout her life.
{{/usCountry}}Rajesh said that his daughter-in-law witnessed the whole massacre and like any other human being, it will be hard to forget throughout her life.
{{/usCountry}}“Soon after the attack, the administration swung into action and medical aid was provided immediately. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many of the Union ministers monitored the whole rescue operation,” he added.
Similarly, his daughter Srishti Narwal requested the media to verify the facts before publishing. She also clarified that a viral video of couple dancing at a similar location to Baisaran, does not belong to Vinay and his wife Himanshi.
She also said that her slain brother should get the highest honour that he deserves.
26-year-old Vinay was among the 26 tourists who were shot dead by terrorists in Pahalgam, where he was on his honeymoon with his wife, a week after their marriage.