TMC Delegation Visits Poonch, meets grieving families, assesses ground situation.

GNS ONLINE NEWS PORTAL

SHYAM SOOD

**Delegation to submit report to Mamata Banerjee on possible cooperation with J&K Government

RAJOURI MAY 22:-A five-member delegation from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), West Bengal, visited Poonch to express solidarity with families affected by recent cross-border shelling. The team also met those who lost loved ones in the attacks.
The delegation comprised Derek O’Brien, MP and Parliamentary Party Leader, Rajya Sabha; Mohammad Nadimul Haque, Chief Whip, Rajya Sabha; Manas Ranjan Bhunia, Minister, Government of West Bengal; Sagarika Ghose, Deputy Leader, Rajya Sabha; and Mamata Thakur, MP, Rajya Sabha.
The visit aimed to assess how the Mamata Banerjee-led government in Bengal could potentially collaborate with the Jammu and Kashmir Government in relief and rehabilitation efforts.
“We met the families of those killed in Pakistani shelling during the war. The families are grieving,” said Derek O’Brien, describing the day as emotional for all the members.
The delegation first visited the family of martyr Army officer Amarjeet Singh (52), who was killed on the morning of May 8 while attempting to move his family to a safer location. The team met his father, wife, and two children to offer condolences and solidarity.
“We met the bereaved families, offered our condolences, and assured them that their voices will not go unheard,” said the TMC leaders.
The delegation also visited Christ School, which was directly hit by shelling and claimed the lives of twin siblings, Zayn Ali and Zoya. The children were critically injured along with their father, Ramees Khan, as they were fleeing the school when a shell landed nearby. The twins died on the spot, while Khan remains under treatment in a Jammu hospital and is reportedly unaware of the tragedy.
Another student from the school, Vihan Bhargava, was killed near a petrol pump in the area. The school’s bunker, a refuge for many residents, was also damaged by the shelling.
Residents informed the delegation that the intensity of the shelling was unprecedented.
The TMC leaders also visited Jamia Zia-ul-Uloom, a religious and educational institution (madrasa), where they met Hazrat Maulana Saeed-e-Habib, the deputy head (Naib Mohtamim), and extended their condolences over the death of teacher Maulvi Qari Iqbal in the attack.
Several residents raised the urgent demand for the construction of more bunkers to ensure safety during future incidents.
The TMC delegation is expected to visit Rajouri on Friday to meet with families of victims from that district.