As the nation marks the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor, special prayers were held in Poonch district to honour civilians killed during Pakistani shelling.
The historic Gurdwara Shri Guru Singh Sabha organised prayers to pay homage to those who lost their lives in the four-day conflict in May last year.
As many as 17 civilians were killed after Pakistani forces resorted to heavy shelling along the Line of Control and the International Border in retaliation to India’s Operation Sindoor. The operation was launched after terrorists killed 26 civilians in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025. Poonch district alone reported 12 civilian deaths and 34 injuries due to Pakistani shelling between May 7 and May 10.
Officials at the Gurdwara said the shrine itself came under heavy shelling. While no lives were lost inside the complex, it suffered extensive infrastructural damage. Special prayers were organised to mark the first death anniversary of the victims. “The shelling did not spare religious places. Shells hit the Gurdwara, langar hall, temples and mosques alike. An Islamiya teacher at a mosque was also killed,” an official recalled.
Pakistani forces used heavy artillery and mortar shelling, targeting dozens of villages and densely populated civilian areas, including religious sites in Mankote, Mendhar, Thandi Kassi and Poonch town. Among those killed were two minor siblings, Mohd Zain Khan (10) and his elder sister Zoya Khan (12). Another victim, Balvinder Kour, died when a mortar shell struck her house in Mankote, while her 13-year-old daughter sustained injuries.
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