The wife of Surat resident Shailesh Kalathiya, who tragically died in the Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir, recounted on Thursday the horrific moments, stating that the terrorists showed no remorse and were seen laughing after fatally shooting her husband.
Shailesh Kalathiya was one of three Gujarat residents among the 26 individuals killed in the terror attack in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam on Tuesday. The other two victims from Gujarat, Yatish Parmar and his son Smit, hailed from Bhavnagar.
On Thursday, grief enveloped their native places as local residents joined the funeral processions for the three deceased, marking a somber day of mourning.
Visibly distraught as her husband’s mortal remains were carried to the crematorium from their home, Shitalben Kalathiya shared her harrowing experience with reporters. She described the terrorists’ merciless actions, stating they laughed after shooting her husband at close range.
“A terrorist first approached us and then shot my husband after discovering he was Hindu. Like my husband, other Hindu men were shot in front of their children. The terrorist was laughing after shooting my husband and remained there until he died,” she recounted.
In Surat, Kalathiya’s son, Naksh, performed his father’s last rites. Speaking to reporters afterward, Naksh tearfully explained how his father was singled out for being Hindu and fatally shot by a terrorist in front of him and his mother.
The family was vacationing in Pahalgam, including Shailesh Kalathiya, his wife Shitalben, son Naksh, and elder daughter Niti, when the group of terrorists attacked Baisaran.
“As soon as we heard gunshots, all the tourists started running to find cover in Pahalgam. Two terrorists eventually found us and asked everyone to identify their religion. They separated the men into two groups – Hindus and Muslims. Then, they shot dead all the Hindu men, including my father, and fled,” Naksh recounted.
He further added, “At the time of the attack, there were nearly 20 to 30 tourists in that area. I feared that I would also be killed. After separating Hindus from Muslims, the terrorists asked them to recite ‘kalma’. Muslims who recited it were spared, but those who could not were shot down.”
In Bhavnagar, Smit Parmar’s maternal cousin, Sarthak Nathani, detailed the unfolding of the terror attack. Out of the 20 people from Bhavnagar who had traveled to Srinagar, including the Parmar and Nathani families, 12 went to Pahalgam and became targets of the terrorists.
He stated that the terrorists who opened fire on the tourists in the area were wearing green clothing resembling army uniforms, and their faces were uncovered.
“Everyone started running due to indiscriminate firing from all directions. Yatishbhai was shot dead by terrorists. From a short distance, I saw a terrorist ask Smit something and then shoot him at close range,” Nathani said.
