Operation Sindoor Anniversary: Special Prayers Held In Poonch For Victims Of Pak Shelling

POONCH/JAMMU, May 7: Special prayers were held at Gurdwara Shri Guru Singh Sabha in Poonch on Thursday to pay tribute to those killed in Pakistani shelling following Operation Sindoor last year.

Devotees gathered at the gurdwara to pray for peace and remember the victims, while condemning attacks on civilian areas and religious places during the cross-border shelling.

Twelve people were killed and 34 injured in artillery and mortar shelling in Poonch, the worst-hit border district, soon after India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 last year.

The operation targeted nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed.

A gurdwara official said the shrine itself was hit during the shelling, though no casualties occurred inside.

“The gurdwara suffered major damage, and later a shell struck nearby houses, killing two persons,” the official said.

He added that special prayers were organised to mark the first death anniversary of the victims and stressed that the shelling affected all communities.

“Shells hit the gurdwara, langar hall, temples and mosques alike. People of all religions suffered,” he said.

The official also said Pakistan’s actions failed to disrupt communal harmony in the region, where different communities have lived peacefully for generations.

Among those killed were two minor siblings, Mohd Zain Khan (10) and Zoya Khan (12), while Balvinder Kour lost her life after a mortar shell hit her house in Mankote. Her daughter was injured in the incident.

Officials said the shelling targeted multiple civilian areas, including Mankote, Mendhar, Thandi Kassi and Poonch town.

The hostilities escalated after the operation, with Pakistan launching retaliatory strikes that were largely thwarted by the Indian military. The situation de-escalated on May 10 following talks between army officials of both sides.