Operation Sindoor: At least 12 civilians and one soldier killed, many injured in shelling by Pakistan in J&K
At least 12 civilians, including three women and three children, were killed, and 51 others injured as the Pakistan Army resorted to heavy mortar shelling and firing on villages, hitting scores of houses and vehicles in four districts close to the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K on Wednesday.
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One Indian soldier was killed in 'unprovoked shelling by Pakistani forces' close to the LoC in the Poonch sector, officials said.
The Pakistan Army's intensification of mortar shelling in Rajouri and Poonch districts in the Jammu division, and Kupwara and Baramulla districts in the Kashmir Valley followed India's 'Operation Sindoor' missile strikes on terror camps inside Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK) on Tuesday night.
Residents living close to the border areas were gripped with a sense of fear as casualties rose in the shelling incidents, with the authorities setting up temporary shelters in Poonch, Rajouri, Baramulla, and R.S. Pora.
Officials said the shelling impacted Balakote, Mendhar, Mankote, Krishna Ghati, Gulpur, Kerni, and Poonch town, and left around 42 injured. When contacted, Vikas Kundal, Deputy Commissioner, Poonch, could not furnish details on the casualties in Poonch.
Sources said admissions of injured persons to the hospital in Poonch had been increasing since Wednesday morning.
'Amarjeet Singh, 47, an ex-serviceman, was sleeping with his kin in a room when a mortar shell hit the ceiling and created a big hole. He suffered splinter injuries and died,' Singh's neighbour in Kamakhan area said.
Several residents of Poonch said the town had been affected for the first time since the 1999 Kargil War between India and Pakistan. 'Mortars shattered glass in houses, damaged buildings, and created holes in parked vehicles,' a resident of Qazi Mohra said.
Officials said three children aged between 12 and 14 years also died in mortar shelling in the Kalaani and Dungus areas.
In the Kashmir Valley, nine civilians were injured in mortar shelling and firing in Baramulla's Uri, and Kupwara's Chowkibal and Tangdhar areas. Around one dozen structures, including houses, were damaged in the shelling.
India has launched #OperationSindoor, a precise and restrained response to the barbaric #PahalgamTerrorAttack that claimed 26 lives, including one Nepali citizen. Focused strikes were carried out on nine #terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and… — Ministry of Defence, Government of India (@SpokespersonMoD) May 6, 2025
'We could only hear loud explosions, and see flashes of light and flames in the dead of night,' a relative of the injured Ayan Yunus, 8, said. Most of the injured were shifted to the Baramulla Government Medical College.
The Indian Army, in a statement, said it was responding in a 'proportionate manner'.
J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah chaired an emergency meeting with the Deputy Commissioners of all border districts through video conferencing to assess the situation in the wake of intense cross-border shelling in these districts. Mr. Abdullah directed the immediate release of ₹5 crore to each border district, and ₹2 crore to each of the other districts, 'so that Deputy Commissioners are equipped to deal with the exigencies arising and requiring availability of adequate resources'.
The Chief Minister directed the Health Department to maintain sufficient stock of essential medical supplies, ensuring the availability of doctors and paramedics, and keeping supplies of blood ready in case of any depletion in hospitals, especially in vulnerable areas.
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