Pahalgam terror attack: 'You protect VIPs, not us,' grieving widow blasts govt at victim's funeral

New Indian Express

24-04-2025

AHMEDABAD: Grief gave way to anger on Thursday as Shailesh Himmatbhai Kalthia, one of the three Gujaratis killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, was laid to rest in Surat.
Kalthia, who was visiting Kashmir with his family, was among the victims of Tuesday's attack. His final rites drew a large crowd of mourners, including Union Minister and Gujarat BJP President C.R. Patil.
Amid the emotional farewell, his wife Shitalben, who witnessed the attack and her husband's death, expressed her anguish and frustration. Overwhelmed by grief, she criticised the government's VIP culture, questioning the contrast in security and resources.
'There's nothing there, no army, no police, no facilities. But when VIPs or big leaders visit, there are dozens of cars, helicopters flying overhead. Who pays for all that? Us—the common people, the taxpayers. So why is all that service only for the VIPs and not for regular folks like us?' she asked.
Crying, she recounted the event after the attack saying, 'I was shouting from the army camp below, begging them to go up and help, telling them people were injured. We somehow made it down, stumbling, falling... but no help ever reached the people who were still up there. So much happened up top—why didn't the army below know anything?'
Then she said something that really hit hard: 'If they're just going to shoot all the Hindu brothers like that, then what is our security personnel even doing? There were thousands of security personnel in that area, and still, at the tourist spots, there were no soldiers, no police, not even basic first aid. Nothing.'
And then, to top it off, she said one of the security guys asked her, 'What are you even doing here, just walking around?' Can you imagine that?
Shitalben, visibly distraught, turned to those around her and questioned, 'Now you tell me—if things were really like that up there, then why did you even let us go? Why did you let us go into that danger?'
She broke down as she said, 'The pillar of my house is gone. My support… my strength… he's gone. Just give me back my Shailesh, I don't want anything else. Nothing.'
And then she said something that really hit everyone: 'If our government only wants to protect its own, only wants to maintain facilities for itself, then fine—but don't expect our votes anymore. We won't vote for this government again.'
At one point, Shitalben stretched her hand toward her son and, with her voice shaking, said, 'Tell me… what's the future of these boys now? I had dreams—I wanted to make my son an engineer, my daughter a doctor. How am I supposed to do that now?'
She paused, holding back tears, and continued, 'All these years, we paid taxes. My husband worked hard, served this country, and you took taxes from his salary. And even when we went up there as tourists, we paid taxes again. You took everything from us. But when we needed help the most, there were no facilities, no support.'
'I want justice,' she said firmly. 'Not just for me, but for my children's future. They shouldn't have to suffer.'
Then, turning to Patil, she said, 'You live here in Surat, right? So you tell me, what will you do for my husband? For us? Because he's not the only one… There are so many innocent brothers out there, just young boys. What about them?'
When Patil tried to reassure her, saying that the government would help, Shitalben didn't hold back. She said, 'The government just keeps saying 'We'll do it, we'll do it'… but they've been saying that since the beginning. So much has already happened, and still, nothing has been done.'
She looked exhausted, her voice filled with frustration. 'They don't even know if the injured got proper treatment at the hospital or not. No one knows anything. And the next day? There was a curfew. Total shutdown. Roads were blocked off completely. Wherever you looked, there were groups of 100, 200 army men on the streets.'
She shook her head in disbelief. 'Where were they when we needed them? When innocent lives were being lost up there?'
As Shitalben poured her heart out, some of the leaders there tried to quiet her down, but she wasn't having it.
She stood her ground and said sharply, 'No sir, you have to listen to me. Every time something terrible happens, that's when the government shows up to take pictures. Then they say, 'Army officers were there, police were there, leaders came.' What's the point of coming after everything's over?'
Her voice rose with anger. 'And why why did an Security officer say, 'What are you doing here, just walking around?' If even one person said that, why didn't anyone else there speak up? Why was no one held accountable?'
'I don't just want justice for my husband and son,' she said, her voice breaking but steady. 'I want justice for everyone who lost their lives. Every son should have a future. Every family deserves answers.'
C.R. Patil tried to respond gently, saying, 'Yes, yes, Shitalben, definitely…'
But she cut him off. 'No, definitely not. We trusted you. That's why we went there!'
As she tried to continue, others stepped in and tried to stop her from speaking. And then, with a heavy heart, she added, 'This place should be closed. It's supposed to be a tourist spot… but look at what's happening.'