Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (May 24) visited Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir to meet families affected by the recent cross-border shelling by Pakistani troops, describing the devastation as a “big tragedy” and pledging to raise their concerns at the national level.

The shelling, which occurred between May 7 and 10, claimed 28 lives across Jammu and Kashmir, including 13 in Poonch district, and left more than 70 injured.

Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, interacted with the victims and bereaved families for over an hour.

“It is a big tragedy. Many people lost their lives. They (Pakistan army) have hit civilian targets directly. I talked to the people and tried to understand their problems and they have asked me to raise their issue at the national level which I will do,” Gandhi told reporters after his visit, reported PTI.

Talking to the students, Gandhi said: “Now, you feel a little bit of danger, a little frightened, but don’t worry, everything will go back to normal…Your way of responding to this should be to study really hard, play really hard and make a lot of friends in school,” The Indian Express reported.

During his visit, Gandhi walked through the affected areas to assess the extent of the destruction caused by the cross-border shelling. Before departing for Srinagar, Gandhi described the situation as “a huge tragedy.”

“A lot of people have died and there’s widespread damage to property,” he added.

He assured residents that the concerns they shared with him would be raised at the national level.

In a post on social media platform X, he expressed solidarity with the victims. “Today I met the families of those who lost their lives in shelling by Pakistani troops in Poonch. Damaged houses, scattered belongings, moist eyes and painful stories of losing loved ones -- these patriotic families bear the biggest burden of war with courage and dignity every time. Salute to their courage,” he wrote, reiterating his commitment to raise their demands in Parliament.

Gandhi was accompanied by senior Congress leaders, including J&K Pradesh Congress Committee president Tariq Hameed Karra and AICC general secretary G. A. Mir.

A Congress leader said Gandhi arrived at Jammu airport in the morning and flew to Poonch by helicopter to assess the damage firsthand. He visited several shell-hit structures, including a gurdwara, a temple, a madrassa, and a Christian missionary school, and interacted with civil society representatives.

This visit marks Gandhi’s second trip to the Union Territory since the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people, most of them tourists. On April 25, he visited Srinagar to meet the injured and held discussions with the Lieutenant Governor and other key officials.

The recent violence in Poonch followed India’s military operation, codenamed Operation Sindoor, which targeted nine terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the Pahalgam attack.

In retaliation, Pakistan launched a barrage of artillery, missile, and drone strikes on Indian territory, triggering widespread civilian displacement and damage.

Thousands of residents living near the Line of Control and the International Border were forced to flee to government-run relief camps. The military confrontation ended on May 10, when both India and Pakistan reached an understanding to de-escalate hostilities.

Speaking on the significance of Gandhi’s visit, Karra noted, “Rahul Gandhi is the first national leader to reach out to the affected population and share their pain. His visit shows the seriousness with which the Congress party views the plight of the people in border areas.”
During his April visit, Gandhi had stressed the importance of national unity in the face of terrorism, stating that such attacks were meant to divide the country and must be met with collective resolve.