"Nothing wrong with Kashmir, issue is security failures": wife of bank manager killed in Pahalgam terror attack

In an emotional outburst during her husband’s funeral, Shital Kalathiya, the wife of 44-year-old Shailesh Kalathiya, a bank manager who was killed in the recent Pahalgam terror attack, held the Indian government responsible for the tragedy.

Speaking directly to Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Paatil, who had come to pay his respects, she voiced her anger over the alleged lack of security and emergency services at the tourist site.

“There’s nothing wrong with Kashmir,” Shital said, “the real issue is with our government’s security arrangements.”

Her husband Shailesh, employed at the State Bank of India in Mumbai, had been vacationing in Pahalgam with his family and a colleague when the fatal attack occurred. According to her, there were no military personnel present at the popular tourist location, and medical facilities were absent when her husband needed urgent care.

In a video of the exchange, Shital is seen questioning why tourists are left vulnerable while VIPs receive convoy-level protection. “Is there no value to the life of a taxpayer?” she asked, adding that army officials at the base camp only questioned their travel plans instead of providing assistance. “I lost the most important person in my life. My children lost their father, their pillar of support. What justice can you offer us now?”

She appealed for the future of her children, sharing their aspirations — her daughter wants to be a doctor and her son an engineer. She urged the government to ensure support not just for her family, but for all those affected by the attack.

Shailesh’s body arrived in Surat on Wednesday night, received by several political leaders including Minister C.R. Paatil, Gujarat’s MoS for Home Harsh Sanghavi, and State Education Minister Praful Pansheriya. After being kept at the SMIMER hospital morgue, the body was taken to his uncle’s residence in Mota Varachha, and later to Kathor for the final rites.