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India Today
25-04-2025
- Politics
- India Today
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 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 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 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 Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the 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 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
Hans India
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Not a single security person was present: Wife of victim
New Delhi: Two days after the heartbreaking Pahalgam attack, Shital Kalathiya, wife of Shailesh Kalathiya, one among the 26 victims, remembering the details of the incident said that they had just reached the top of Mini Switzerland and had sat down for a meal when they heard the firing. 'We had just reached Mini Switzerland when the firing had started. It happened twice, and after the second shot, everyone started running. They surrounded us and asked the Hindu men to separate from the Muslim were all silent and were just hoping that they would go away. But everything just happened in a second. They watched all of them die... there was nothing I could do,' the wife said speaking to ANI. Still in shock, Shital stated how she had only seen this happening in movies and also questioned the absence of security at the spot. Naksh, the son of the deceased said that they were a family of four who had gone on the trip. 'We were four of us who went, including my father, my mother and my sister,' he said. Shiv Sena(UBT) in a scathing editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana' has claimed that terrorism in J&K is not over yet and the Kashmir policy has failed during Modi's tenure. The party said this will happen when an 'atmosphere of religious hatred is created in the country'. 'This issue will not be resolved by threatening Pakistan. Such threats make PM Modi's devotees feel good. Pakistan's back was left to be broken. In Pahalgam, terrorists attacked the back of the fake saviours of Hindus. It further alleged that PM Modi and other leaders are giving empty threats and warnings to Pakistan to enter their homes. In reality, terrorists are entering India by crossing the border and killing innocent Hindus. Kashmir is in turmoil under the BJP rule. What else will happen when an atmosphere of religious hatred is created in the entire country?' 'Most of those killed are Hindus. Some are Muslims. After Pulwama, the Pahalgam attack was a complete failure of the intelligence agencies. Where has the National Security Advisor, who poses as James Bond, gone? Prime Minister Modi repeatedly says that this country is in safe hands. PM Modi lies. When PM Modi announced demonetization, he said, 'Now the backs of terrorists will be broken.' When Amit Shah abrogated Article 370 and made Jammu and Kashmir a Union Territory, he announced, 'Now terrorism in the valley is over'. But here, rivers of blood are flowing every day and his spit of lies is mixing with it,' said the editorial while upping the criticism against the BJP-led government at the Centre. 'Terrorism in the Kashmir Valley is not over. Since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, 197 security personnel have been killed in Kashmir. 135 civilians have been killed. 700 suspected militants have been killed. This is not a sign that the violence in the Valley has ended. Hindus are being 'targeted', and the promises made by Modi for the Kashmiri Pandits in the 2014 elections have not yet been fulfilled. Not only have Kashmiri Pandits not returned home, but the remaining Hindus are also fleeing. The BJP government, which calls itself the saviour of Hindus, should be ashamed of this,' the editorial said.
The Hindu
24-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Families question absence of security personnel at Pahalgam meadow
As the mortal remains of victims who were killed in the April 22 terror attack in South Kashmir's Pahalgam reached their homes on Thursday (April 24, 2025), the relatives raised questions on the absence of any security presence in the area frequented by thousands of tourists. As many as 26 people were killed in the terror attack targeted at male tourists who were singled out based on their religion. In Surat, Shital Kalathiya, wife of Shaileshbhai Kalathiya, 44, a banker who was gunned down by terrorists after asking about his religion, burst out in anger at Union Minister C.R. Paatil on Thursday seeking answers as to why there was no security personnel or a medical unit deployed in the area. Speaking to the Minister who had arrived to offer condolences, Shital said, 'You have so many VIP cars. Your life matters, what about the person who pays tax? There was not a single military person present there nor was there any medical team.' She said that Hindus and Muslims were segregated and killed by terrorists who were laughing and taking selfies after the incident. The Baisaran meadow is accessible only by foot and pony. The pony operators rescued several injured tourists. Paras Jain, a resident of Maharashtra who survived the attack, told The Hindu earlier that the firing continued for 25-30 minutes, adding that there were no security personnel around at the time of the attack. The nearest security camps are located a few kilometres away. While the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is located around 7 km away, the camp of Rashtriya Rifles (RR) of the Army is 5 km away. Union Home Minister Amit Shah informed an all-party meeting on Thursday that Baisaran was opened for tourists without informing the police and the hotel owners should have been responsible and followed the security protocol before sending the tourists there. The Minister is learnt to have said at the meeting that incident should not have happened adding that there was no security there on the day of the incident. The Minister is learnt to have said that the security agencies could not trace any communication signal within a radius of 50 km of Baisaran for at least five days before the attack. The terrorists did not use any communication device, the Minister is said to have informed the Parliamentarians. He said it was wrong to make an exaggerated statement that it was a security failure but the hotels should have informed the police that they are opening new spot for the tourists. He said following the incident, four spots have been closed and security has been provided at other spots. A CRPF official said they were the first among the security forces to respond to the attack. 'We were alerted by the pony operators that a terror attack has taken place. The CRPF team evacuated three victims who suffered bullet wounds,' said the official adding that counter-insurgency (CI) in the area is under the Army's domain. When asked why there was no presence of the unit at the meadow or nearby, the CRPF official said, 'Our deployment is based on the requirements of the Jammu and Kashmir Police. If the police asks us to aid them in road opening duties or providing security to VIPs, we follow the directions. This area was not under our charter of duty.' A defence source said there were no specific intelligence inputs to suggest that the tourist place could be targetted by terrorists and, as per government's policy, Army deployment is consciously kept away from tourist destinations. 'There were intelligence inputs 15 days back of a possible terror attack in Anantnag area, which is quite usual ahead of the Amarnath Yatra. So we have been on alert around the usual locations and axis. There was nothing that indicated that Pahalgam could be target,' an Army source on the ground said on condition of anonymity. A J&K police official said there was no specific threat flagged for Pahalgam, however there were inputs about other locations including Srinagar. The defence source said that the intent of the attack, especially given the choice of the location, seems to be clearly aimed at the increasing numbers of tourists. Apple cultivation and tourists are two major sources of income for the locals. Just two weeks back, a hail storm caused significant damage to the apple crop and the terror attack has ensured that tourism is now finished for sometime. That hits at the heart of the income for locals, officials noted.
Hindustan Times
24-04-2025
- Hindustan Times
‘They asked Hindu men to separate from Muslim men': Pahalgam terror attack survivor
Eyewitness accounts of those who survived the Pahalgam terror attack continued to emerge on Thursday, two days after the massacre that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. Shital Kalathiya, wife of Shailesh Kalathiya, one of those 26 killed, explained how the attack unfolded when they had just reached the meadow top and sat down for a meal. She also explained how the terrorists tried to identify the religion of tourists before shooting. Follow Pahalgam terror attack live updates 'We had just reached Mini Switzerland when the firing had started. It happened twice, and after the second shot, everyone started running. They surrounded us and asked the Hindu men to separate from the Muslim men. We were all silent and were hoping that they would go away. But everything just happened in a second. They watched all of them die. There was nothing I could do,' Shital recollected while speaking to ANI. She also questioned the lack of security arrangements and the absence of security personnel on the spot. 'We had only seen this happening in movies, but when we saw this in real life, it broke us. What shocked us the most was that there was not a single security person present. if they knew that such risks were present at that place, they shouldn't have let anyone go up there,' she added. Also read | Pahalgam: Omar Abdullah hails slain 'ponnywallah' who tried snatching rifle from terrorist to save tourists Sajad Ahmad Bhat, a shawl hawker from Pahalgam, said he received a message about the attack in the Baisaran Valley from the head of Pahalgam Pony Association. Bhat said that local hawkers like him gave water to those injured and carried those tourists who could not walk. 'Humanity comes before religion. We must help the tourists as they are our guests, and our livelihood depends on them. We brought many of them to the hospital... We did not care about our own lives because when we went there, people were pleading for help. When I saw the tourists crying, tears came to my eyes. Their arrival lights up the lamps in our houses. Our life is incomplete without them,' he said. Also read | PM Narendra Modi's warning to Pahalgam terrorists in English: 'End of Earth' | Top quotes Arathi from Kerala, who lost her father Ramachandran to the attack, recalled the chaos as they started to run with others after hearing gunshots. She also said that a group of people were intercepted by an armed terrorist. 'There were 2-3 groups beside us. We saw the man asking the group something, and then he was shooting at them. At this, I panicked, and I told my father that the man was coming towards us. My father was calm, and he said Let's see what happens. The man came towards us and said 'Kalma'. When we said we didn't understand what he was saying, the man shot my are very helpful. Both the Central and J&K governments also helped us a lot,' Arathi said.
