India, April 22 -- On April 22 last year, what began as a routine tourist day in the lush green expanse of Pahalgam quickly spiralled into one of the deadliest terror attacks Jammu and Kashmir had witnessed in decades.

The first reports were brief and almost understated: gunshots heard, five injured. But as hours passed, the scale of horror unfolded with chilling clarity.

By nightfall, 26 lives had been lost. Most of them were Hindu men, including a Nepalese national. Families that had come seeking peace in the valley found themselves trapped in a carefully orchestrated massacre.

The image that came to define the tragedy was that of a newly married woman, Himanshi Narwal, sitting beside her husband's lifeless body.

Photo: Screen-grab ...