The body of a Nepali national killed in a terrorist attack in India’s Jammu and Kashmir was repatriated to Nepal early Thursday.

Sudip Neupane, 27, was among at least 26 people killed when gunmen opened fire on a group of tourists in Pahalgam, a popular resort town in the Indian-administered region, on Tuesday. The attack has been described as the deadliest targeting civilians in India in nearly two decades.

Neupane’s body was transported from Kashmir to Delhi, then via Lucknow, and finally brought into Nepal through the Sunauli border early Thursday morning. Family members and local officials received the body before being taken to his residence at Horizon Chowk in ward 11 of Butwal Sub-metropolitan City.

Relatives, friends, and neighbours gathered at the house to pay their final respects. His funeral will be held later in the day at the Triveni Dham.

Neupane, originally from Belbhariya in ward 14 of Butwal, had been living in Kalikanagar with his mother and sister. A graduate in public health from Dharan, he had recently been involved in a community oral health campaign in partnership with a local clinic, Adhunik Samaj Dental Care. Colleagues described him as a committed and compassionate individual focused on serving rural communities.

According to his family, the trip to Kashmir had been spontaneous. Neupane had returned to Butwal last week to meet his sister and brother-in-law, who had travelled from Pokhara. The family decided to travel to Kashmir over the weekend.

His father, Dhruba (Kaushal) Neupane, a schoolteacher in Butwal, was in Kathmandu participating in a teachers’ protest when he learned of his son’s death. He said he hoped the funeral rites would be performed by his (Dhurba’s) father, in accordance with Hindu customs, as he was not traditionally permitted to conduct the last rites for his son while his parents are still alive.

The attack in Pahalgam, which occurred in an off-road meadow area, was claimed by a little-known militant group calling itself the ‘Kashmir Resistance.’ In a social media post, the group said it was protesting the settlement of what it described as “outsiders” in the region.

Authorities in India have launched a large-scale security operation in response to the attack. Tourist travel to certain areas of Jammu and Kashmir has since been restricted. The attack has drawn widespread condemnation on social media.

Nepal’s President Ramchandra Paudel, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Minister for Foreign Affairs Arzu Rana Deuba condemned the attack.

Attacks on tourists in Kashmir remain rare. The last major incident took place in June 2024 when nine Hindu pilgrims were killed and over 30 were injured in a similar shooting on a bus.

Neupane’s death has shocked the community in Butwal, with many expressing grief over the sudden loss of a promising young man.