Four children among 12 killed in Poonch shelling; Mass migration to safer areas in Rajouri-Poonch

GNS ONLINE NEWS PORTAL

SHYAM SOOD

*Hundreds shifted to the lodgement centers in Rajouri and Nowshera

**Marriage parties restricted; many public gatherings cancelled

RAJOURI MAY 07:-Four children are among 12 residents killed and 52 others injured in Poonch and Rajouri after the Pakistan Army resorted to heavy artillery and mortar shelling on forward Indian villages during the intervening night of May 6 and 7.
Of the 56 injured in the Poonch and Mendhar sectors, 12 succumbed to their injuries. In Rajouri’s Irwan Khetar village, four members of a family were injured when a shell landed near their home.
According to sources in the Poonch Health Department, 37 injured individuals have been discharged after treatment. Four patients, including two children, have been referred to Associated Hospital GMC Rajouri, while three others remain under treatment at the District Hospital in Poonch.
The deceased include children Maryam Khatoon (7), Ayan (14), Aruba (12)—all children of Rameez Khan—and Vihan Bhargav (13).
Other victims are Shakeela Bi (40), Qazi Mohd Iqbal (40), Amrik Singh (55), Amarjeet Singh (47), Ranjeet Singh (48), Balvinder Kour (33), Mohd Akram (40), and Mohd Rafi (40).
Those referred to AH GMC Rajouri have been identified as Rafia Bi (7), Gurmeet Singh (30), Radvansh Singh (12), and Rameez Khan (50).
Reports indicate that several houses, a Gurudwara, and multiple government buildings in Poonch town suffered extensive damage due to the shelling.
Following the loss of lives and property, hundreds of residents have fled Poonch town, seeking refuge in Jammu or safer locations within the district.
The Pakistani shelling was reportedly in retaliation to India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’, in which the Indian Armed Forces struck nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), including sites in Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Gulpur, Bhimber, Chak Amru, and Bahawalpur.
The Indian Army stated that civilians were killed due to “indiscriminate firing and shelling” by Pakistan and that India has responded proportionately.
Defence sources said the shelling began in the Bhimber Gali (BG) area of Poonch and intensified across various areas, including Chakan Da Bagh, Krishna Ghati, Shahpur, Gulpur, Kerni, Mankote, Mendhar, Laam, Pukhrani, Gambhir, and Jhangar in Rajouri.
All schools, colleges, and educational institutions in both districts have been ordered shut on Thursday, May 8, by the Divisional Commissioner.
In response, the Rajouri district administration has begun relocating people from border villages to lodgement centers established in government schools and Gurudwaras across Nowshera and Rajouri sectors.
Twelve such centers have been set up in the Nowshera subdivision. Officials have been instructed to ensure basic facilities, including food, water, medical care, hygiene, and security at these centers.

Former sarpanches of Pukharani, Jhangar, and Lam—Aurangzeb, Purshotam, and Bharat Kumar—stated that families living near the zero-line with no bunker facilities and residing in mud houses were the first to be relocated.
“In Lam, only two community bunkers are available, accommodating around 100 people. Had individual bunkers been available, people wouldn’t have abandoned their homes and livestock,” said Bharat Kumar.
“Panic has gripped the entire area after the heavy shelling. Over 25 families have already been shifted to the lodgement center in Nonial,” said Aurangzeb.
“As a precautionary measure, marriage parties are now restricted to 5–10 members, and many wedding lunches and dinners have been cancelled,” added Purshotam.