An unrelated Instagram reel of a couple dancing in Jammu & Kashmir is viral with the false claim that it is late Indian Navy Lieutenant Vinay Narwal dancing with his wife, Himanshi moments before the terrorist attack in Baisaran, Pahalgam.
BOOM found the woman in the viral video, is Priya Prasad and her husband, both tourists who narrowly escaped the attack.
Terrorists opened fire on tourists gathered at the Baisaran meadow area in Pahalgam are of Kashmir, killing 26 people and injuring several others, including locals. Described as one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in both Kashmir and India in recent years, the incident has shattered the relative calm in the valley and is expected to significantly impact the recent surge in local tourism. Family members of the victims have alleged that the attackers specifically targeted Hindu male tourists. Among the deceased are a local guide and foreign nationals.
The reel is being shared on Facebook with the caption, "Last video of this couple before the death of Naval Officer Lieutenant Vinay Narwal". The caption when translated to English reads, "How cruel is fate. Separated the couple who lived with eyes full of dreams. Let no one lose anything that is so dear."
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FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the couple seen dancing in the video is not the late Lt. Vinay Narwal and his wife, Himanshi.
We broke the video into key-frames and ran a reverse image search using Google Lens and found the original video uploaded on Instagram on April 21, 2025, a day before the attack.
It was posted by the handle, '@queenpriyaprasad', run bya Priya Pasard '@queenpriyaprasad'.
The account also posted another video on April 23, 2025, showing her filming in Pahalgam. The caption states that this video was filmed 20 minutes before the terrorists attacked the location.
We also found a April 25, 2025 reel posted by the account confirming that the couple was present in Pahalgam on the day of the attacks, but had left about 20 minutes before the firing started.
Priya and her husband, who according to her social media are back home safe, have called out the fake claim in the same video, saying, “Our photos and video are viral on social media with incorrect information.”
BOOM has reached out to the handle and will update the article upon a response.
BOOM has previously debunked a video of a couple, misreported by Indian media outlets as the last video of the late Navy Lieutenant Vinay Narwal and his wife, Himanshi.