Latest news with #AmreekSingh
Scroll.in
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
21 civilians killed in J&K in four days of India-Pakistan conflict
Twenty-two Indian civilians, including five children, lost their lives in Jammu and Kashmir in four days of the military action between India and Pakistan, said police and district officials. Five members of Indian armed forces were also killed in action between Wednesday and Saturday. India and Pakistan reached an agreement to put an end to the skirmishes that escalated on May 7 with the Indian military strikes – codenamed Operation Sindoor – on what it claimed were terrorist camps in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. The Pakistan Army had retaliated to the strikes by repeatedly shelling Indian villages along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. The highest number of casualties was reported from the Jammu region of the Union Territory. Fifteen persons died in Poonch district, which came under heavy artillery firing from the Pakistan Army. Among the dead were Zain Ali and his sister Urwa Fatima. The 14-year-old twins, both students of Class 5, were killed on May 7 when an artillery shell landed outside their home in Poonch town, just as the family was leaving for a safer area. The children's father Rameez Khan was injured in the shelling. A seven-year-old girl, Maryam Khatoon, was also killed by a shell that day when she was sitting in the compound of her house in Poonch town. In Mankot village in Poonch district, 32-year-old Balvinder Kaur was killed on Wednesday as the area came under heavy artillery fire. A mother of three children, Kaur's youngest child is just a year and a half old. A 46-year-old cleric, Qari Muhammad Iqbal, who taught young children at Madrasa Zia-ul-Uloom in Poonch was also killed on May 7. Following his killing, several television channels had identified him as a 'terrorist' who had been 'neutralised' by Indian strikes on Pakistan on May 7. The cleric's family strongly objected to the allegations. The Poonch Police issued a statement, clarifying that Iqbal, was a 'respected religious figure in the local community and had no affiliation with any terror outfit'. Two shopkeepers in Poonch were killed by shells on Wednesday. Amreek Singh, 55, the sole breadwinner in his family, ran a small grocery shop. He was killed when he went out to open his shop. He is survived by two daughters and a son. Ranjit Singh, a 48-year-old local shopkeeper, who was outside Amreek Singh's shop at the time, was also killed. Amarjeet Singh, a 54-year-old retired soldier, was killed after he was hit by splinters of a shell when he was on his way home from a gurdwara on Wednesday morning. Six others died in Poonch that day, including a 13-year-old child, Vihaan Bhargav. On Saturday, 56-year-old Rashida Bi was killed when her house was hit by a shell in Kanghra-Galhutta village of Poonch. The sole civilian casualty reported in the Kashmir valley was from Baramulla district. Nargis Begum, a 47-year-old housewife, was killed in cross-border shelling in Uri area. Begum died while trying to move her 14-year-old daughter, who has a heart condition, to a safer area. Two residents of Bihar were killed on Saturday when shells hit an industrial area in Rajouri district – two-year-old Aisha Noor and 35-year-old Muhammad Shohib. The same day, Raj Kumar Thappa, the additional district development commissioner, Rajouri, was killed when a shell hit his official residence. Non-civilian deaths On Wednesday, Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar of the Army was killed in Pakistani shelling in Poonch. Sunil Kumar, 25, a rifleman of J&K Light Infantry, died of wounds suffered during overnight gunfire and shelling in RS Pura sector on Saturday. Sergeant Surendra Kumar Moga, a 36-year-old medical assistant attached with the Indian Air Force's 36 Wing, was killed in a Pakistani strike in Udhampur on May 10. The same day, Border Security Force Sub-Inspector Mohammad Imteyaz was killed in the RS Pura sector of Jammu due to shelling. Pawan Kumar, a resident of Himachal Pradesh and an Army subedar major, was killed in the Krishna Ghari sector of Poonch on May 10.
Indian Express
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Sikh community in shock: A hymn singer, tabla player, shopkeeper and homemaker killed in shelling
The local Sikh community suffered a heavy loss as at least four of its members were killed and the wall of a gurdwara was damaged when Pakistan launched heavy shelling early Wednesday in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. Eyewitnesses described the intensity of the bombardment as worse than during the 1999 Kargil War. According to officials, Amreek Singh and Ranjit Singh—local shopkeepers—ex-army official Amarjeet Singh, and homemaker Ruby Kaur were killed instantly when a shell exploded near them, sending shockwaves through the community. A nearby gurdwara, located just a short walk from Amreek Singh's shop, was also struck during the shelling. Its wall sustained considerable structural damage. Ex-army official Amarjeet Singh (50), a devout Granthi who regularly performed Paath at the gurdwara, died in the shelling. He is survived by his wife, a son in Class 6, and a daughter. Amarjeet Singh also played the tabla at the gurdwara, while another victim, Amreek Singh, was a raagi who sang hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib at another gurdwara in Poonch. Both were killed at different locations. 'It was such a fate that not only Amarjeet Singh but also Amreek Singh died in the shelling today. They were small-time preachers for the community,' said Narinder Singh from the District Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Poonch. A man walks past a building damaged by Pakistani artillery shelling in Kashmir's Rajouri. (Reuters) Amreek Singh (39) ran a small grocery shop below his house. He was the sole breadwinner of his family and is survived by two daughters and a son. He was with Ranjit Singh at Syndicate Chowk when a shell exploded in front of them. Both died on the spot. Amreek Singh had gone to open his shop. Ranjit Singh, also a shopkeeper, was unmarried and known for his quiet, hardworking nature. Ruby Kaur (32), a homemaker, was killed in Mankote. She had three children, the youngest just a year and a half old. Ranjit Singh, Amreek Singh, and Ruby Kaur were cremated on Wednesday. Amarjeet Singh will be cremated on Thursday. The local Sikh population in Poonch, estimated between 25,000 and 30,000, has been left shaken. 'We have never witnessed such heavy shelling in Poonch before. We saw the Kargil war, but civilian establishments largely remained untouched. We thought we had learned to live under shelling. Today, that illusion was broken,' said Narinder Singh. The community is in mourning, calling for justice and an end to violence targeting civilians. The wall of Gurudwara Singh Sabha Poonch was damaged in the attack. 'The damage to the gurdwara is minor, but the shock is massive. Those who have residences in Jammu have already left. We saw heavy deployment of the army moving toward the border. It has created uncertainty in our minds. We don't know when we will be able to return,' said the gurdwara president. Following the incident, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, Acting Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, condemned the shelling. 'The attack on Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha and the loss of Sikh lives is not just an event—it is a blow to humanity,' he said. Calling for diplomacy, Jathedar Gargaj urged both India and Pakistan to reduce tensions. 'Both governments must act with wisdom, not weapons,' he said. 'Since 1947, this conflict has caused suffering, including to Hindus and Sikhs near the border. How many more must pay for a conflict they did not create?' asked Gargaj. 'War always devours the innocent. Peace is not weakness—it is the strength we must summon.' 'This violence has taken lives from our community,' he added. 'Amreek Singh served through kirtan, Amarjeet Singh defended the borders, and Ranjit Singh was a tradesman. Their lives should not have ended like this.' He called for prayers (ardas) for the departed souls and strength for their families. Addressing those in the border areas, Jathedar Gargaj urged, 'Support one another. Take shelter in Gurbani. Stay firm. Pray for peace.' Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said, 'There has been news of a bomb attack by Pakistan on a gurdwara sahib located near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir. In this attack, Raagi Singh Bhai Amreek Singh, Amarjeet Singh, Ranjit Singh, and Ruby Kaur have lost their lives. Carrying out such an attack at a place where prayers are offered for the well-being of all is extremely condemnable. Targeting innocent civilians is completely wrong. We express our heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased. We pray to Guru Sahib to grant a place at His feet to the departed souls and to give the families the strength to bear this unbearable loss.' Meanwhile, many families in Poonch have begun fleeing toward Jammu, seeking safety amid fears of more violence.
Indian Express
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Shopkeeper killed, gurdwara building damaged in shelling in Poonch by Pakistan
A shopkeeper was killed and the building of a gurdwara was damaged as Pakistan launched heavy shelling early Wednesday in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. Eyewitnesses described the intensity of the bombardment as worse than during the 1999 Kargil War. According to officials, Amreek Singh, the local shopkeeper, was killed instantly when a shell exploded outside his shop near Syndicate Chowk as he arrived to open it, sending shockwaves through the community. A nearby gurdwara, located just a short walk from Singh's shop, was also struck during the shelling, and its wall sustained considerable structural damage. No one was reported to be injured inside the gurdwara. After the Pakistani shelling, many families in Poonch have begun fleeing toward Jammu, seeking safety amid fears of further violence. At least seven other civilians were killed and 38 injured in Jammu and Kashmir, following the strikes by India on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir under Operation Sindoor. Officials said one person was killed in Mendhar, and six died in Poonch. 'During the night of 06-07 May 2025, Pakistan Army resorted to arbitrary firing, including Artillery shelling from posts across the Line of Control and IB opposite J&K,' Lt Colonel Suneel Baratwal, PRO (Defence), Northern Command, said. A woman was reported killed in Mankote, though officials have yet to confirm her death.
