Shattered lives, fragile peace in shell-shocked Poonch
Poonch sector witnessed heightened artillery shelling after India carried out precise strikes under Operation Sindoor on nine terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack. As many as 28 people were killed in Jammu and Kashmir between May 7 and 10 of which 16, including four children, died in Poonch district alone.
'Peace is fragile here. Fear is constantly lurking. It will take more time for us to return to the life we led before the conflict. Those who lost their loved ones in the cross-border shelling are still in a state of shock,' says Manmohan Singh, 60, a local resident who has retired as head of the department from the District Institute of Education and Training. His cousin, Amrik Singh, an ex-serviceman, was killed in the shelling on May 7.
Victims yet to resume school
'Markets have opened and so have schools but my cousin's children haven't resumed their studies. Amrik has two school-going daughters and a son. He was the sole breadwinner. Relatives and friends are still visiting them to mourn his death,' says Manmohan Singh.
He recalls how another Sikh resident, Ranjeet Singh, 40, was killed along with Amrik Singh on the fateful day. 'Ranjeet was a bachelor and stayed with his elderly parents. Who will look after them?' he says.
The Poonch district administration was prompt in transferring an immediate ex-gratia relief of ₹6 lakh each to next of kin of the deceased from the Red Cross Fund. During his visit, Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha announced an additional ₹10 lakh and a government job to a family member of those killed. Officials are conducting a survey seeking details of deaths, injuries, damage to property and crops for subsequent government action and rehabilitation.
Parents haven't eaten properly
But the families are left with a vacuum no government or official can fill or compensate.
Arun Kumar, a government teacher, who lost his 13-year-old nephew, Vihaan Bhargav, in the Pakistani shelling on May 7, says, 'My brother, Sanjeev Kumar, and his wife, Rashmi, have not been able to come to grips with the tragedy. They haven't eaten properly since they lost their only child.'
Vihaan was Class 8 student of Christ School in Poonch.
'They lived in Dungus Mohalla. The family was fleeing Poonch in their car when it was hit by a Pakistani shell at Bhainch. The boy suffered head injuries and died on the spot,' he says. 'What will they do with the compensation and government job? They have lost their only hope,' he says in a choked voice.
Sarfraz Mir, a professor at the Government Degree College in Poonch, lost his cousins, Ayan and Aruba, 13, the same morning. The twins were also students of Christ School. 'Their father, Rameez Khan, is my uncle. They used to live at Kulhani village, 12km from Poonch town. Since Ayan and Aruba had to travel the distance daily to Christ School, we insisted they shift to the town. They rented an accommodation near the school only three months ago. Who could have imagined this? They were born on the same day and died the same day,' he says.
Mother's unparalleled courage
Rameez Khan, a librarian, who was also injured in the shelling, is still undergoing treatment at Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu. He along with his wife, Ursha Khan, a government teacher, were fleeing with the children when a shell exploded at the gate of their rented accommodation. Though Ursha escaped unhurt, her life was shattered in an instant.
'My aunt's courage is unparalleled. She buried her two children at the Kulhani village graveyard around 11.30am on May 7 itself and kept it a secret from her husband for nearly 10 days as he was battling for life in hospital. Every time he enquired about the children, she told him they were safe with their grandparents,' Mir says.
It was only after Rameez Khan recovered from multiple surgeries and was declared to be out of danger did she break down and tell him about the tragedy in hospital three days ago. 'Their world has been shattered. This job and compensation are meaningless for them,' he says.
Meanwhile, residents have built makeshift bunkers in the vicinity of their houses in seven villages of Dhara Dhulian, Krishna Ghati, Jhallas, Gulpur, Digwar, Shahpur and Guntrian along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch without waiting for any government help.
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