Early Saturday morning, heavy Pakistani shelling in the Rajouri, Poonch, and Jammu districts resulted in the deaths of five individuals, including a senior government official, and left several others injured, according to officials.
Rajouri’s Additional District Development Commissioner, Raj Kumar Thapa, along with two of his staff members, sustained critical injuries when an artillery shell struck his official residence in Rajouri town, officials reported. They were immediately taken to the Government Medical College, where Thapa succumbed to his injuries.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed his condolences on X, stating, “Devastating news from Rajouri. We have lost a dedicated officer of the J-K Administration Services. Just yesterday he was accompanying the Deputy CM around the district and attended the online meeting I chaired. Today the residence of the officer was hit by Pak shelling as they targeted Rajouri town killing our Additional District Development Commissioner Sh Raj Kumar Thappa. I’ve no words to express my shock & sadness at this terrible loss of life. May his soul rest in peace.”
Officials further stated that two more individuals, two-year-old Aisha Noor and Mohd Shohib (35), were killed, and three others were injured in Pakistani shelling near an industrial area in Rajouri town.
In the Mendhar sector of Poonch district, a 55-year-old woman, Rashida Bi, died when a mortar shell hit her home in Kanghra-Galhutta village, officials said.
Additionally, Ashok Kumar, also known as Shoki, a resident of Bidipur Jatta village, was killed in cross-border firing along the International Border in the R S Pura sector of Jammu district, according to officials. They added that three more people were injured in intense shelling in Poonch and were taken to a hospital.
Several individuals in Jammu city also sustained injuries when artillery shells and suspected drones struck residential areas, including Rehari and Roop Nagar.
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