4 children among 13 killed in heavy Pak shelling in Poonch; 59 others injured

Bustling Poonch town bore the brunt of Pakistani shelling

A seven-year-old girl, Maryam Khatoon, has become the youngest victim of heavy Pakistani shelling in which 13 civilians were killed and 59 others were left injured in Poonch, Rajouri and Baramulla‘s Uri sector amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the ‘horrific killing’ of 26 innocent citizens in the Baisaran valley of Pahalgam on April 22.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a statement on Thursday said Pakistan’s ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir have claimed the lives of 13 civilians in the Poonch sector, and injured a total of 59 people.

Out of the total injured, 44 were from Poonch, the external publicity division of the MEA said.

A soldier of the Indian Army also laid down his life in the Pakistani shelling in Poonch. The soldier has been identified as Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar of 5 Fd Regt.

#GOC and all ranks of #WhiteKnightCorps salute the supreme sacrifice of L/Nk Dinesh Kumar of 5 Fd Regt, who laid down his life on 07 May 25 during Pakistan Army shelling.
We also stand in solidarity with all victims of the targeted attacks on innocent civilians in #Poonch Sector.…

— White Knight Corps (@Whiteknight_IA) May 7, 2025

Three other minor kids, including siblings 14-year-old Ayan, 12-year-old Aruba, and 13-year-old Vihaan Bhargav, also lost their lives in the targeted shelling of civilian areas hours after India launched ‘Operation Sindoor‘ to demolish terror factories operating in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir late Tuesday night. At least 10 other children were injured in the cross-border shelling.

According to close relatives of the deceased kids, death came knocking at their doorstep when the Pakistani army started heavy shelling targeting Poonch town in the wee hours of Wednesday. In response, the Indian Army also hit hard, inflicting heavy casualties on the Pakistan army.

According to family members, both Ayan and Aruba were present in their home when a shell fired by the Pakistani army exploded in the close vicinity, causing grievous injuries.

Vihaan Bhargav also became a victim of Pakistani shelling when he was traveling in a car along with his parents to move out of Poonch.

Destiny, however, had other plans in store. Vihaan could not make it to the hospital and died in front of his parents, both school teachers. The last rites of these kids were performed on Thursday in Poonch.

Eyewitnesses claimed more than 200 shells landed in the Poonch town in a span of 10 to 12 hours.

The houses, religious places belonging to different faiths, the main bus stand area, police lines, and hotels bore the maximum brunt of heavy shelling.

Rooftops of several houses were also punctured, vehicles were damaged, and places of worship were targeted in the heavy shelling.

Given the escalating tension, the authorities have ordered that all educational institutions in the five border districts of the Jammu region will remain closed for the second day on Thursday.

Anticipating further escalation in the coming days, the Union Territory administration has also activated its evacuation plan by shifting border residents from several vulnerable places to safer zones.

A large number of families from Poonch migrated to safer locations after the Pakistani shelling created havoc in the town. The villagers from forward villages, falling in the direct line of fire, were also evacuated, and those left behind were directed to spend the night inside bunkers to prevent further loss of lives in the shelling.

The residents from the forward villages along the Jammu frontier’s International border were shifted to safer places. The BSF jawans have been kept on high alert to respond to any misadventure from the Pakistani side.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also took stock of the situation in the border districts of J&K UT with all the senior administrative, police & district officials, including DCs of all the border districts. In a post on X Office of LG said, “I’ve also directed the DCs for shifting of villagers from vulnerable areas to safer locations and ensuring boarding, lodging, food, medicare, and transportation. We will ensure the safety of every citizen, he added.

Took stock of the situation in border districts of J&K UT with all the senior administrative, police & district officials including DCs of all the border districts. I’m closely monitoring the situation & govt is fully prepared to deal with any eventuality. pic.twitter.com/5utPB3xLyz

— Office of LG J&K (@OfficeOfLGJandK) May 7, 2025

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