4 Sikhs among 13 killed as Pak shells Poonch, attacks gurdwara
Pakistani troops pounded heavy calibre shells on different areas of Poonch district and many other places, resulting in the death of 13 persons, including four minors and a soldier, and leaving 45 injured.
The Jammu-Poonch National Highway (NH-144) was also targeted at some places. Soon after India commenced Operation Sindoor early this morning, the Pakistan army, that had already stationed heavy calibre guns along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch and Rajouri districts, started shelling the districts.
Three members of the Sikh community were killed when a shell hit Guru Singh Sabha Sahib Gurdwara. The “ragi” at the shrine, Amrik Singh (55), besides Amarjeet Singh (47) and Ranjeet Singh (48), died in the attack.
They were taken to a hospital, where they were declared dead on arrival. Amrik Singh was making announcements urging local residents not to venture out of their homes due to shelling when he died in the attack. A Sikh woman was killed in separate shelling.
An artillery shell fired by the Pakistan army missed a UN field office in Poonch and fell outside its gate.
The shelling by Pakistan started around 1.45 am and continued intermittently till the morning. Areas close to the LoC were also targeted in Rajouri district with some loss to property. However, there was no reported loss to life in the district till Wednesday evening.
A cleric of a local madrasa, Qazi Mohammad Iqbal (40), was also killed. The Pakistani shelling did not even spare Christ School in the town. Two persons were reportedly killed when a shell struck near the school.
Aman Dabur, a resident of Poonch, said people had fled their homes due to the fear of shelling. “Most homes in the area bear the marks of splinters of shells fired by Pakistan. This is the first time that we have seen shelling by Pakistan with such intensity in Poonch town,” said Dabur.
Sources in the Army intelligence said the shelling was carried out in Mendhar, Balakote, Krishna Ghati, Mankote and other areas of the district. Most people were asleep when the shelling by the Pakistani side started abruptly. Most of them did not even get a chance to move out of their homes.
The minors who were killed in the shelling have been identified as Ayan Khan (14) and his sister Aruba Khan (12), Maryam Khatoon (7) and Vihaan Bhargav (13). Others who were killed in the shelling were identified as Mohammad Akram (40), Balvinder Kour (33), Shakeela Bi (40) and Mohammad Rafi (40).
A shell also struck the area close to the Police Lines in Poonch while the traffic came to a standstill on the Jammu-Poonch NH after shelling hit the vital road link.
Balbir Singh, a resident of Poonch, said he, along with his family, had to leave for Jammu after the shelling from the Pakistani side continued for hours. “Many members of our community were injured and killed in the shelling as Pakistan targeted Poonch. I decided to leave the area immediately to keep my wife and two daughters safe,” he said.
J & K