Op Sindoor: Special prayers held at Poonch gurdwara for those killed in Pak shelling

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

A gurdwara official told reporters that the shrine itself had come under Pakistani shelling during the hostilities. "Although there was no loss of life inside the gurdwara, the shrine suffered major damage," he said, recalling that a shell later struck nearby residences killing two persons.

The official said special prayers were organised to mark the first death anniversary of the victims.

He said Pakistan attempted to disturb the communal harmony of the region where Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs had lived together peacefully for generations.

"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," he recalled.

He added that while the government had provided compensation and employment to one member of each affected family, the loss of human lives could never truly be compensated.

The Pakistani response involved heavy artillery and mortar shelling targeting dozens of villages and densely populated civilian areas, including a gurdawara, temple, and a mosque 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, was killed after a mortar shell struck her house in Mankote, while her 13-year-old daughter sustained injuries.