15-05-2025
Frantic car ride to hunkering in hotel basement, how my father's advice got me through Poonch shelling
Our journey began on 8 May night with an 18- to 20-hour drive to the Poonch district, Jammu. As dusk approached, we decided to take advantage of the remaining daylight to visit Poonch city. However, around two to three kilometres before the city limits, we heard a loud 'boom' sound, followed by another, frighteningly, near our car.
I embarked on the challenging journey with my colleague Sagrika, aiming to report from the ground and witness firsthand the impact of the escalating tensions between the two nations on civilians.
New Delhi: One of the most intense experiences of my career, undisputedly and enduringly, was and will be covering Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district amid the India-Pakistan conflict in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.
Scared, our driver immediately stopped and turned off the headlights. Sagrika, visibly shaken, urged him to take a quick U-turn. As we sped away from the city, she was calling her parents and chanting prayers, 'Om Namah Shivaya', 'Jai Shri Ram', and 'Jai Mata Di'. I held her hands for some minutes to reassure her, before I started recording videos of our path despite the dark. As our car hurtled away from Poonch city, we kept hearing several blasts.
Considering locals had advised us against entering Poonch city after dark, we decided to spend the night in Surankote, considered a safer area. Surankote, we were told, had not experienced shelling since 1971. However, at 11.30 pm, while I was charging our recording equipment before preparing to rest, I heard a deafening blast near the hotel, followed by another.
Panic ensued as hotel staff and guests ran through the lobby, chanting 'Allah Allah'. The hotel owner suggested we move to the basement, which he deemed the safest spot. Nearly 30 people, including women and children, huddled together in the two-room basement, all terrified by the unexpected shelling in Surankote.
The next morning, I contacted a local photographer in Poonch city to assess the situation. He informed me the shelling had ceased 15 minutes ago and could resume at night. Seizing the opportunity, Sagrika and I headed to Poonch city again. On reaching our destination, we started interviews with the locals. However, we could not continue for long. The only reality of Poonch city amid the conflict, relentless, heavy shelling restarted, forcing us to evacuate quickly.
Throughout this assignment, the concern in the voice of friends and family members who called me was palpable. Messages poured in, urging us to stay safe and reminding us that our role was to report the news, not become it. During a call with my father, I explained that we had spent the night in a hotel basement due to nearby shelling. His calm response was, 'Take good pictures.'
This experience underscored the unpredictable nature of conflict zones and the resilience required to report from such places. The situation in Poonch and Surankote remains volatile, with civilians bearing the brunt of the hostilities. As journalists, we have a responsibility to shed light on the ground realities during a conflict, keeping the world informed about the human cost of it.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
Also Read: Fleeing shells to a terrifying night in a basement in 'safe' Surankote—my experience covering Poonch
