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Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Hindustan Times
Punjab: 3 murder suspects held after Ferozepur police encounter
Three men suspected to be involved in the murder of a 29-year-old Ferozepur resident, Ashu Monga, on Thursday were arrested after an encounter with the police on Friday night. The encounter took place near a canal bridge between Ghall Khurd village and Ratta Khera, 19km from Ferozepur. Ferozepur deputy inspector general of police Harmanbir Singh Gill said that the trio were attempting to flee on a motorcycle and a two-wheeler when they were intercepted at a police checkpoint. 'On being stopped, the three suspects opened fire on the police. They sustained bullet injuries to their legs in retaliatory fire and were taken into custody,' he said. Following the joint operation of the counter intelligence team and the local police, four pistols were recovered from the suspects, who are undergoing treatment in a hospital in Ferozepur. Ferozepur senior superintendent of police Bhupinder Singh Sidhu identified the three men as Sonu, Amrik Singh, and Baljinder Singh. The scooter and motorcycle used in the crime have also been confiscated. On Friday, the police had arrested two more accused, Angrez Singh and Joginder Singh for Monga's murder outside a tattoo shop on Thursday. The victim was allegedly dragged out and killed following a group rivalry. The incident was captured on video by a local resident, who uploaded it on social media. A case was registered against seven accused on the complaint of Monga's wife Pawanpreet Kaur. The seven named are notorious gangster Ashish Chopra, Angrez Singh, Joginder Singh, Amrik Singh, Gurdit Singh, Shivam Sehgal and Yuvraj Singh. Five unidentified accomplices were also booked for murder, rioting, unlawful assembly, and criminal conspiracy under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita as well as the Arms Act. In the meantime, a cross-case was also registered under multiple sections of the BNS and Arms Act against Gurjinder Singh, Sarabjit Singh, Lakha, Amarjeet Singh, Dev Sharma, and deceased Ashu Monga, based on a complaint by Arshdeep Singh. SSP Sidhu said that efforts are on to arrest the remaining accused.
Hindustan Times
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Shattered lives, fragile peace in shell-shocked Poonch
The world may have moved on since the India-Pakistan conflict a fortnight ago, but for families who lost their loved ones in the cross-border shelling in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, time stands still, hanging heavy with grief. 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.
NDTV
09-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
In Poonch, Even Silence Echoes With Shells
Poonch: Poonch, cradled in a valley and embraced by hills, us caught in the crossfire of hate. The hills here don't just rise - they loom. And from those heights in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) terror rains down. The strategic advantage isn't just military - it's psychological. Every blast feels like it's echoing off three walls of a trap. The sky glows not with stars but with fire. The air doesn't carry breeze - it carries the fear of the next round. For two nights, Poonch hasn't slept. I walk through streets where people whisper memories louder than their voices. Japneet's tears speak of a childhood bombed out. Her father Amrik Singh, a former soldier, a ragi at the gurdwara, now just a memory - blown away in a place they visited for peace. Her voice breaks, "My father wanted me to become a doctor... but what now?" What do I say to her? My daughter too is in Class 11. I see her eyes in Japneet's pain. I carry my mic, but my throat tightens. What do I report - grief, or the guilt of surviving? Syndicate Chowk is riddled. Shutters are perforated like paper. Doors wear the ugly fingerprints of Pakistani shells. In Balbir's story, bullets tore through his elder brother like raindrops on tin. They poured water on him, not knowing he had already become a name for a gravestone. At Shri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara, harmoniums and tablas wait-silent instruments once echoing with shabad. Now they mourn their ragi-Amrik Singh. The hole in the AC unit tells its own story. First the Bhairo temple was targeted, and then, without pause, the shell came here. In another lane, Gurmeet Kaur shows me shrapnel-heavy, sharp, and unapologetic. It cracked her home, her peace, her sleep. Her blanket lies undisturbed, like someone ran from a nightmare mid-dream. Her gas stove is tilted, testimony to meals left unfinished, days suspended. Mohammad Hafiz takes me into his burnt store room-where 17 people once shared joy, now they share trauma. His words are heavy: "They didn't spare the temple, nor the mosque, nor the Gurudwara... this isn't about religion-it's about destroying India." And yet, his neighbour, Niranjan Singh, was the first to run over, asking, "Are you okay?" This is the India we still breathe in Poonch. Amid flying metal and broken hearts-humanity is the last thing standing. As Operation Sindoor unfolds across the LoC, Pakistan's mortars answer - not with courage but with cowardice. This is the worst shelling Poonch has seen since independence. Not even 1965 or 1971 brought such fire. Streets are locked, shops abandoned, homes evacuated. People are fleeing. With children in arms and tears in eyes, they take whatever ride they can find. Khalil Ahmed, clutching his son, whispers, "We are going to my father-in-law's place... May Allah protect Hindustan." And I carry this notebook and this camera, but also a lump in my throat. Because no matter what the script, the real stories are carved in loss. Poonch bleeds, yet breathes. Bombs fall, but hope still flickers. Even as the border burns, people here light the lamp of resilience. And I, a reporter, stand witness-not just to war, but to the will to live.
Hindustan Times
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Pakistani shelling devastates Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch, reduces homes to ruins
The Pakistani Army on Thursday night resorted to heavy firing across the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch, Uri, Kupwara, Tangdhar, and Karnah sectors of Jammu and Kashmir, as tensions escalate with India. Also Read: Friends lost, families destroyed: Pakistan shelling tears through Poonch Several people were injured, homes and vehicles were damaged, after Pakistan's shelling across the LoC, which has been going on for three days. Earlier that night, Pakistan had fired eight missile directed at Satwari, Samba, RS Pura and Arnia, which were intercepted and blocked by India's air defence system. The boundary wall of a Gurdwara in a border village was also partially damaged due to the shelling. Also Read: Trepidation at Ground Zero of Pak shelling A local whose house was destroyed by the Pakistani shelling told ANI, 'I can't understand what Pakistan thinks and does. This is not humanity. If Pakistan won't understand now, then what will it? If it weren't for our Armed Forces, we wouldn't have been able to sleep peacefully at night.' The Pakistan military's move comes as a retaliation to India's Operation Sindoor, which destroyed terror infrastructure at nine targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). In Poonch, a total of 44 people have sustained injuries due to ceasefire violations by Pakistan, according to the External Affairs Ministry. On Wednesday, after heavy firing across the LoC, thirteen people lost their lives in the district as well. President of the District Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, Narinder Singh, told ANI, 'Poonch saw very heavy shelling yesterday. Bhai Amrik Singh, a raagi, in our gurudwara, died in the shelling; he was in his shop located on the ground floor of his house when this happened. A shell hit the gurdwara as well, but there was no one present here.' Also Read: Last rites of Lance Naik, who died in Poonch shelling, performed in Palwal He added, "One Hindu child has been killed, four Sikhs have been killed, and many from the Muslim community have also lost their lives in the shelling... People have started migrating in large numbers..." Chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, visited a hospital in Jammu on Friday, Poonch has suffered a huge loss. Poonch has the highest number of casualties and the most injured. I was in Jammu hospital sometime before, and all the injured admitted there are from situation in Poonch is grim. Dy CM is trying to reach Poonch, if he reaches there, he will meet the people there" The Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, also visited villages in the Uri sector, on Friday to assess the damage caused by Pakistani shelling in civilian areas over the past three nights. He called for the district administration to provide immediate relief to those who had suffered losses.
Time of India
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Cowardly attack: Pakistan shelling targets civilians, destroys 8 Sikh homes in Kupwara's Terbuni village
Amrik Singh and Amarjeet Singh AMRITSAR: A devastating cross-border attack by Pakistani forces left eight Sikh homes in Terbuni village in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir reduced to rubble, forcing families to flee to the safety of Kupwara town, some 70km that the Pak assault plunged the border village into chaos, Joginder Singh, a local, said they were worried and terrified by the continuous cross-border aerial attacks, which already razed eight houses, leaving them with no choice but to evacuate. However, he said, there were no casualties or any serious injuries to any of the said all villagers had taken shelter in bunkers, fearing more attacks on Wednesday night. "Now, only a few persons remain to look after their homes, belongings, and Gurdwara Singh Sabha Terbuni, Gurdwara Singh Sabha Sambalpura, Gurdwara Teg Bahadur Sahib in Teetwal, and the Sharda Temple in Teetwal," said Joginder to the govt for enhanced safety and security measures, he acknowledged support extended by the Kupwara administration, but emphasised that much more needed to be done to support the approximately 500 residents of Terbuni officiating jathedar of Akal Takht, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, condemned the attack in the Poonch region of Jammu and Kashmir, where civilians, including Sikhs, were killed and a gurdwara was also damage amid rising tensions and cross-border attacks between India and a release issued here on Wednesday, Gargaj said that during Pakistan's retaliatory shelling in Poonch, after Operation Sindoor, the central Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha was hit. During the attacks in Poonch, three Sikhs were killed: Amrik Singh (a raagi), Amarjeet Singh (a retired army soldier), and Ranjit Singh (a local shopkeeper). "War always severely harms humanity, often resulting in the deaths of many innocent people," he said, adding: "Therefore, every possible effort must be made to resolve the current situation peacefully."In a separate statement, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Harjinder Singh Dhami said that this painful incident inflicted deep wounds on the Sikh community. Paying tribute to the Sikhs who lost their lives in the attack, Dhami also offered ardas (Sikh prayer).
