Latest news with #PoonchPolice
Hindustan Times
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Poonch man shares videos of homes destroyed by Pakistan shelling: ‘Never forget sacrifice'
As tensions between India and Pakistan escalated during 'Operation Sindoor', residents of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir took to social media to share footage of their homes reduced to rubble by cross-border shelling. In one such video, a Poonch resident shared visuals of the homes, buildings and vehicles destroyed by incessant shelling in the border district. 'I always wanted to share the beauty of Poonch with the world through my videos, but now I am forced to show what happened to our Poonch from May 7 to 11,' Instagram user Mazhair said in a video, standing under the broken roof of a house. In a short video titled 'Never Forget the Sacrifice of Poonch', Mazhair captured the devastation caused by Pakistan's shelling during ceasefire violations in retaliation to India's launch of Operation Sindoor. A post shared by Mazhair (@ "Poonch carried the weight of war so the rest could sleep in peace," he wrote in the caption. Walking around the district, he filmed destroyed homes with collapsed roofs, bullet marks on gates of residential buildings, shattered windows and broken vehicles. The Poonch Police has issued an advisory asking residents to avoid approaching suspicious metal objects after receiving reports of unexploded shells in various areas of the district. Intense shelling was reported from several areas, including Balakote, Mendhar, Mankote, Sagra, Krishna Ghati, Gulpur, Kerni, and the Poonch district headquarters. At least 12 civilians were killed and 42 others injured after Pakistan resorted to heavy artillery shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch. A senior police officer told HT that those dead include four children, aged between seven and 14 years. J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday announced an ex gratia of ₹10 lakh each for the families of those who lost their lives in the Pakistani shelling across the Union Territory.
Hindustan Times
12-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
‘Maintain safe distance': Poonch Police warns against unexploded shells
The Poonch Police on Monday issued a public safety advisory after receiving reports of unexploded shells found in various areas of the district. Authorities have urged residents to remain vigilant and avoid approaching suspicious metal objects, which may pose serious risks to life and safety. The developments came as India and Pakistan reached a ceasefire 'understanding' on May 10 after days of standoff in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and New Delhi's retaliatory action, Operation Sindoor. In the advisory, the police emphasized that unexploded ordnance (UXO) should not be touched, moved, or photographed under any circumstances. 'Citizens are instructed to maintain a safe distance, vacate the area immediately upon discovering objects, and report the location to the nearest police station or PCR Poonch,' the advisory added. "These shells are lethal and could detonate if handled improperly," the advisory accessed by HT said. 'Your caution can prevent tragedy.' The police also appealed to parents and guardians to educate children about the dangers of unknown metal objects, particularly in rural or forested areas where such shells might be more prevalent. The advisory asked the residents to 'cooperate with police and bomb disposal squads' to help manage any untoward incident. The situation in Jammu and Poonch remained calm on Sunday, a day after heavy shelling from Pakistan raised tensions along the border. Officials confirmed there were no reports of drones, gunfire, or shelling during the night of May 10 to 11. In the Poonch district, a 55-year-old woman, Rashida Bi, was killed when a mortar shell hit her home in Kanghra-Galhutta village in the Mendhar sector, reported news agency ANI. In another tragic incident, Subedar Major Pawan Kumar from Himachal Pradesh lost his life when an artillery shell exploded near his post in the Krishna Ghati sector, the agency's report said.
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.
Hindustan Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Maulana Iqbal not a terrorist: Police slam ‘baseless, misleading' media reports on man killed in Pakistani shelling
Maulana Iqbal was not a terrorist but a respected religious figure who lost his life along with 12 others in heavy Pakistani shelling in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, police said on Thursday. The Jammu and Kashmir Police came out with a clarification on the 45-year-old Iqbal after certain media outlets and social media platforms circulated "baseless and misleading" reports, claiming that he was a top terrorist and was killed in a missile strike by Indian armed forces across the border. Also Read: Day after Operation Sindoor, Pakistan Army again resorts to cross-border shelling in J&K India retaliates "Any media outlet, journalist, or individual found indulging in the circulation of such fake news shall be liable for legal action as warranted under relevant provisions of law," police said in a statement. Iqbal, a resident of Baila village in Mandi tehsil, was killed when a mortar shell hit his Madrasa Zia-ul-Uloom in Poonch city on Wednesday. A gurdwara and a temple were also hit by the indiscriminate Pakistani shelling in the district, claiming 13 lives, including that of a soldier, four children and two women. Also Read: Operation Sindoor: Canada asks citizens not to travel to J&K, border areas "Poonch Police strongly refutes such false narrative. The deceased (Iqbal) was a respected religious figure in the local community and had no affiliation with any terror outfit. Misreporting of such sensitive incidents not only causes unnecessary panic but also disrespects the dignity of the deceased and the sentiments of the bereaved family," the statement said. It advised all media personnel and platforms to verify facts from official sources before publishing any information pertaining to security and public order.
New Indian Express
08-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Police slam fake news on Poonch shelling victim Maulana Iqbal, call him respected figure with no terror link
SRINAGAR: Police have denied claims made by some TV channels that Maulana Mohammad Iqbal was a Lashkar-e-Toiba militant and was killed in Indian military strike in Kotli, PoK. They confirmed that Iqbal was killed in Pakistani artillery shelling in Poonch and described him as a respected religious figure with no terror links. Iqbal, 46, son of Peer Baksh and a resident of village Baila in Tehsil Mandi in Poonch was killed in cross-border shelling by Pakistan while he was at Madrasa Zia-ul-Uloom in Poonch city on Wednesday, a police spokesman said. 'It has come to the notice of Poonch Police that certain media channels and social media platforms are circulating baseless and misleading reports regarding the death of Maulana Mohammad Iqbal,' the spokesperson said. 'Misreporting of such sensitive incidents not only causes unnecessary panic but also disrespects the dignity of the deceased and the sentiments of the bereaved family,' the spokesperson added.
