A Nepali national was among at least 26 people who were killed when militants opened fire on a group of tourists at Pahalgam of Jammu and Kashmir, India, on Tuesday.

A public health student and aspiring social worker, Sudip, 27, had travelled to Kashmir with his mother, sister and brother-in-law for a short family trip when the tragedy struck.

Originally from Belbhariya in ward 14 of Butwal Sub-metropolitan City, Sudip had been living at Kalikanagar in Butwal for the past four years with his mother Rima and sister Sushma following his parents’ separation. Despite studying for a Bachelor of Public Health in Kathmandu, he often traveled back and forth to care for his mother, who lived alone after Sushma’s marriage two years ago.

Sudip had completed his bachelor's degree in public health from Dharan and was currently working on an oral health campaign in collaboration with the Adhunik Samaj Dental Care, a clinic in Butwal. He had returned to Butwal just last Thursday to meet his sister Sushma and brother-in-law Ujjwal Kafle who had come from Pokhara and the family decided to travel to Kashmir on Saturday.

Dadhiram Neupane, Sudip’s distant uncle and the chairman of ward 14 Butwal sub-metropolis, confirmed that the trip was unplanned and made spontaneously after Sudip returned home. “He was supposed to return to Kathmandu after a few days of work following the trip. Everything ended so suddenly,” he said.

Amrit Bhusal, director of Adhunik Samaj Dental Care, shared that Sudip was passionate about serving rural communities and had shown great commitment during the oral health campaign in areas like Butwal, Bhairahawa and Pyuthan. “He connected easily with people, especially the underprivileged. He believed in making a difference through social service,” said Bhusal.

The news of his untimely death has left the entire neighbourhood in mourning. Neighbours remember Sudip as a friendly and compassionate individual. “We heard he had gone on a family trip. Suddenly, we heard the news of his death. It’s heartbreaking,” said Rajendra Acharya, a local resident.

Sudip’s father Dhruba (Kaushal) Neaupane, a teacher at Bhawanipur Secondary School in ward 18 of Butwal sub-metropolis, was in Kathmandu to take part in the ongoing teachers’ protest. He learned of his son’s death while returning from the protest.

Following a divorce four years ago, he had limited contact with his children, who lived with their mother. “I was on a bus back home when I started getting multiple phone calls. I turned on my mobile data and saw the news. It felt like a nightmare,” he shared tearfully.

Dhruba, who now lives with another wife, revealed that Sudip was his only son and that he wished to bring the body home for funeral rites so that his elderly parents could perform the rites. “Culturally, I should not perform the death rituals of my son as I have parents. I want my father to do the 13-day death rituals at home,” said Dhruba.

Dadhiram had traveled to Kathmandu to coordinate the return of the body, but due to delays in Kashmir, he returned to Butwal. “We were informed that the body is being flown from Kashmir to Delhi, then to Lucknow and then, by Thursday, it will be brought to Nepal through the Sunauli border,” said Dadhiram.

The relatives are planning to perform Sudip’s funeral rites at a local cremation site in Butwal on Thursday.

The attack, which occurred in an off-the-road meadow, is described as the worst terrorist attack on civilians in India in nearly two decades, Reuters reported.

The ‘Kashmir Resistance,’ a little-known militant group, claimed responsibility for the assault via a social media post. The group said it was protesting the settlement of over 85,000 ‘outsiders’ in the region, who, they claim, are changing the demographic makeup of Jammu and Kashmir.

This is the deadliest attack targeting civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which had killed over 160 people. Attacks on tourists in Kashmir are rare; the last major incident happened in June 2024, when nine Hindu pilgrims were killed and 33 injured after militants attacked a bus, Reuters said.

PM Oli speaks to Indian Prime Minister Modi

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday to offer his condolences.

“The killing of innocent tourists in Pahalgam is inhumane and utterly unacceptable. We join our Indian friends in mourning the victims,” Prime Minister Oli wrote on X reaffirming Nepal's support to the neighbour in the fight against terrorism.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs also disclosed the call between the two leaders via a post by spokesperson of the ministry, Randhir Jaiswal, on X.

“Prime Minister of Nepal @PM_nepal_ Mr. KP Sharma Oli called Prime Minister @narendramodi to strongly condemn the heinous terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, and offered his sincere condolences on the loss of precious lives. PM @narendramodi also conveyed his condolences on the death of a young Nepali national in the terror attack, and underlined that India remains committed to bringing the perpetrators of the brutal terror attack to justice. India and Nepal stand together in the fight against terrorism.”

Earlier, President Ramchandra Paudel, Prime Minister Oli and Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba expressed their condolences on social media, calling the attack senseless and inhuman. They reaffirmed Nepal’s position against terrorism in all forms and extended support to India.