He fell on my lap, I couldn't move in fear: J&K survivor recounts husband's death
In an emotional exclusive interview, Shital Kalathiya, the wife of Shailesh Kalathiya who was killed in the recent Pahalgam terror attack, recounted the horror of witnessing her husband being shot dead by terrorists. Cradling him in her lap after he was hit, Shital was left begging for help that never came.She recalled that they had only been at Pahalgam's popular 'Mini Switzerland' spot for 10–15 minutes with their two children and other families when gunfire erupted. Initially confused, they asked a nearby shopkeeper who also claimed it was the first time he'd heard such sounds. Moments later, terrorists appeared and ordered the group to separate by religion — Hindus on one side, Muslims on the other. 'All the Hindu men were shot on the spot within two to three minutes,' she said in an interview with Aaj Tak, India Today's sister website.advertisementShital described how she couldn't move while her husband lay wounded in her lap, fearing for her children as the terrorists stood nearby. 'I just kept hoping someone would come to save my husband. We heard so many gunshots, but no security, military, or police came.'
She added that even after the terrorists left, there was no immediate help. Locals urged the remaining people to flee with their children in case the attackers returned. 'I carried my children barefoot through knee-deep mud to safety,' she said. Later, when she reported the lapse, an army personnel allegedly said, 'Why do you people go up there anyway?'Shital said she never imagined such an incident could happen. 'We trusted the government and our security forces,' she said, demanding that if the spot is such a danger zone, it should be shut down permanently.PAHALGAM TERROR ATTACKadvertisementOn Tuesday afternoon, five to six terrorists opened fire on a group of tourists in the Baisaran meadow, which is around 5 kms from Pahalgam. The meadow - also known as 'mini Switzerland' - is accessible only by foot or by horseback. The Pahalgam carnage was one of the deadliest civilian attacks in the Kashmir Valley in recent years.The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack.Eyewitnesses said the terrorists emerged from the surrounding pine forests and fired at people picnicking, riding ponies, or eating at food stalls. Most of the victims were tourists, including two foreigners from the UAE and Nepal, and two locals.Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called the attack "much larger than anything we've seen directed at civilians in recent years".Tune InMust Watch
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The Wire
26 minutes ago
- The Wire
‘Attack on Religious Right of Kashmir's Muslims,' Says Mirwaiz as J&K Govt Bar Eid Prayers at Srinagar Eidgah
Menu हिंदी తెలుగు اردو Home Politics Economy World Security Law Science Society Culture Editor's Pick Opinion Support independent journalism. Donate Now Government 'Attack on Religious Right of Kashmir's Muslims,' Says Mirwaiz as J&K Govt Bar Eid Prayers at Srinagar Eidgah The Wire Staff 11 minutes ago The chairman of moderate Hurriyat Conference was also reportedly put under house arrest. Hurriyat Conference Chairman and Chief Cleric of Jammu and Kashmir Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. Photo: PTI/File. Real journalism holds power accountable Since 2015, The Wire has done just that. But we can continue only with your support. Contribute now Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir authorities have barred congregational Eid prayers from taking place at the Eidgah grounds in Srinagar today (June 7) without specifying any reason in writing. The chairman of moderate Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was also reportedly put under house arrest. In a post on X, Mirwaiz, who is also the chief cleric of Kashmir, said that the Jamia Masjid, Kashmir's biggest mosque in the summer capital Srinagar, was also locked by the authorities where the Eid prayer was scheduled to be organised on Saturday morning. Mirwaiz said that the grand mosque was closed on the eve of Eid for the seventh consecutive year following the reading down of Article 370 when Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated and demoted into two Union territories by the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP)-led Union government. 'In a Muslim-majority region, Muslims are deprived of their fundamental right to pray — even on their most important religious occasion celebrated across the world! What a shame on those who rule over us, and on those elected by the people who choose to remain silent as our rights are trampled over, again and again,' he said. Mirwaiz told The Wire that security forces barricaded the entry to his house on Saturday morning without any official intimation, 'They didn't allow me to come out to lead the Eid prayers. It is an attack on the basic religious right of the Muslims of Kashmir,' he said. No permission In a statement on Friday (June 6), Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid, the managing body of the historic mosque, said that the authorities didn't give permission for organising the Eid prayers at the Eidgah ground where thousands of people from different parts of Kashmir gathered to participate in the congregational prayers when J&K was a state. The managing body's statement said that it 'deeply regrets' the denial of permission for organising the prayer at the Eidgah ground which was planned 'in keeping with the longstanding Islamic tradition and the collective religious sentiment of the people'. The statement said that due to the refusal, the congregational prayers were going to be organised at Jamia Masjid on Saturday morning where Mirwaiz would deliver sermon 'on the philosophy and spirit of Eid and Qurbani (sacrifice)'. 'Auqaf urges all worshippers to attend the Eid prayers at Jama Masjid in large numbers and partake in the message of unity, sacrifice, and submission to the will of Allah (SWT) that Eid-ul-Adha embodies,' the statement said. However, the 14th century architectural marvel in Nowhatta locality of downtown Srinagar was closed on Saturday with police and paramilitary troopers turning away the worshippers who tried to gather for the Eid prayers while Mirwaiz was put under house-detention. A flock of pigeons flies past Jamia Masjid, Kashmir's oldest mosque in Nowhatta locality of downtown Srinagar, amid snowfall on December 27, 2024. Photo: Ubaid Mukhtar. This is not the first time that the authorities have locked Kashmir's largest mosque for worshippers on the eve of Eid without specifying any reason in writing. After J&K was bifurcated and split into two union territories, authorities have not allowed the Anjuman to organise congregational prayers at the mosque on sacred days of the Islamic calendar. On March 31, the mosque was locked by authorities on Eid-ul-Fitr while Mirwaiz was also put under house arrest. Authorities have also closed the mosque on the occasions of important islamic events including on Fridays, Shab-e-Qadr and Jummat-ul-Vida. J&K's security administration, which is under the Union home ministry, has unofficially cited the fears of law and order breakdown in the sensitive downtown locality which has been an epicentre of anti-India and pro-freedom protests to justify the ban of congregational prayers. Meanwhile, Eid prayers were held in the rest of the Union territory with thousands of people congregating in major shrines and mosques, including at the Asar-e-Sharief in Hazratbal of Srinagar, Khanqah-e-Moula in Budgam district's Chrari Sharief and other mosques and religious places on Saturday to mark the occasion. Following the reading down of Article 370 in 2019, the BJP-led Waqf board of J&K has taken over the management of most shrines and mosques in the Union territory, a decision which has been criticised by the Mirwaiz and other political parties. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments. Make a contribution to Independent Journalism Related News The Search for the 'Bandung Spirit' The Grand Tamasha of Jammu and Kashmir Politics Unchallenged at Home and Abroad: Jawaharlal Nehru's Leadership With the Non-Aligned Movement As Plane to Srinagar Faced Storm Mid-Air, Request to Detour into Pak Airspace Turned Down Lone NC MP in All-Party Delegations to Not Join His Group, Cites Urs at Native Village Allahabad HC Upholds Trial Court's Order For Survey of Sambhal's Shahi Jama Masjid India Revokes Security Clearance To Turkish Airport Services Firm, Defers Initiation of Ambassador Kharge Alleges Modi Cancelled J&K Visit Due to Intel Report Before Pahalgam Attack India-Pakistan Stand-Off: Main Updates of May 10 About Us Contact Us Support Us © Copyright. All Rights Reserved.
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Iran furious over Trump's travel ban on 12 countries: ‘Racist, supremacist mentality'
An Iranian official denounced the "racist mentality" of US policymakers as US President Donald Trump reinstated the travel ban on 12 countries. Director General for the affairs of Iranians broad, Alireza Hashemi-Raja, said on Saturday the move was "a clear sign of the dominance of a supremacist and racist mentality among American policymakers." He lambasted Trump's travel ban, saying that it "indicates the deep hostility of American decision-makers towards the Iranian and Muslim people". Meanwhile, Reuters quoted Iran's foreign ministry as saying in a post on X, "The decision to ban the entry of Iranian nationals - merely due to their religion and nationality - not only indicates the deep hostility of American decision-makers towards the Iranian people and Muslims but also violates... international law." US President Donald Trump signed a new order on Wednesday banning the citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States. The countries affected by the latest travel ban are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. As per the order, the entry of people from seven other countries will be partially restricted. These include Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. The ban takes effect on June 9, 2025 (Monday) at 12:01 am EDT (0401 GMT). The ban, which Trump said was necessary to protect against "foreign terrorists", was reminiscent of a similar move he implemented during his first term in office from 2017 to 2021, when he barred travellers from seven Muslim-majority nations. (With inputs from agencies)
Scroll.in
an hour ago
- Scroll.in
Assam teacher ‘pushed' into Bangladesh returns home two weeks after being detained
Assam teacher Khairul Islam, who had been 'pushed' into Bangladesh on May 27 after picked by state border police, has returned to his ancestral home in Morigaon. His family told Scroll that he had reached home on Thursday evening. 'I pray that Muslims in Assam can remain in peace,' Islam told Scroll from his home at Khandapukhuri village on Eid. As Scroll had reported, the 51-year-old former government teacher had been detained his home on the night of May 23 by the border police and forced out of Indian territory along the Bangladesh border four days later along with 13 others who were claimed to be 'infiltrators'. In a video posted on Facebook a Bangladeshi journalist from Bangladesh's Rangpur division on May 27, Khairul Islam Islam could standing in a field between Assam's South Salamar district and Bangladesh's Kurigram district 'I told the Assam police that I am a teacher and asked them to respect me,' Islam had told the journalist. 'My hands were tied like I was a thief and I was made to sit in the bus. Around 4 am, I reached here.' Until December, Islam had been a teacher in a government school. In 2016, he had been declared a foreigner by a tribunal. Two years later, the Gauhati High Court upheld the tribunal's decision. Islam spent two years in Assam's Matia detention centre and was released on bail in August 2020. The appeal to the Supreme Court challenging the High Court's decision is pending. On Saturday, he described his ordeal to Scroll. 'I was taken by the police and the same police brought me home,' he said. On May 23, the Morigaon police to the office of the superintendent of police. He was then moved to the Matia detention camp, Islam said. A few days later, the Border Security Force took him from the camp and released him the no-man's land between India and Bangladesh. 'I spent two days in the no man's land,' Islam said. The group was eventually taken to a camp of the Bangladesh Border Guard. he said. 'A few days later, the BGB brought seven of us in the border from where the police took me in custody,' Islam said. 'I was in Assam police custody since we crossed the border from Bangladesh to India and they released me on Thursday evening.' He added: 'I don't exactly remember how many days we were in three days,' he said. 'There was no sleep on our eyes during those days. How don't know how we spent those days. I don't even remember. Days and nights were same.' Islam alleged that he had been beaten in Matia camp when he refused to get into a bus that he knew was heading for the border. '…I'm an Indian so why would I go to Bangladesh?' he said. 'When I told them that, they hit me inside the Matia Detention camp.' After Islam was picked up, his family had filed an application before the Morigaon superintendent of police seeking his release, attaching all the relevant documents. 'The SP had assured that he would be back within two-four days,' Islam's wife Rita Khanam said. Islam's family is happy that he is home on Eid but Islam said no other Indian should face the ordeal he had been put through. 'I'm saying that an Indian should not be harassed like this and sent to no man's land by their own country like this,' Islam said. 'We are not Bangladeshi. We are swadesi. We have all the documents. They should check this and they should verify this before doing such acts. This is injustice and there will be judgement for this one day.' 'Malik ekojn ase,' Islam said. The Almighty will give us justice.
