DH NEWS SERVICE
JAMMU, may 23
A five-member TMC delegation that visited the cross-border shelling-hit Rajouri district on Friday slammed the government for neglecting the families living in border areas.
The delegation said they will raise the concerns of the border residents in Parliament and other relevant platforms.
The delegation members said they were returning with “broken hearts” after witnessing the human tragedy caused by Pakistani shelling and expressed solidarity with the people.
The region witnessed heightened artillery shelling about two weeks ago following the rise in tensions with Pakistan after India carried out precision strikes on nine terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on May 7 in response to the Pahalgam attack.
A wave of artillery shelling, and missiles and drone strikes by Pakistan in the Jammu region killed 27 people and injured more than 70 between May 8 and 10 after India launched Operation Sindoor to target terror infrastructure in the neighbouring country and PoK in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack.
The TMC delegation — comprising MPs Derek O”Brien, Sagarika Ghose and Mohd Nadimul Haque, West Bengal minister Manas Bhunia, and former parliamentarian Mamata Thakur — is on the last day of its three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir.
The delegation also visited the Government Medical College in Rajouri where they met the injured and were briefed about the measures taken to treat them.
Expressing their condolences to the families who lost their kin, Rajya Sabha member Ghose said they came to Rajouri to assure the affected people that the people of West Bengal and India were standing with them.
“We are here with a five-member delegation and public representatives from West Bengal. Over the past two days, we have been visiting the border areas. Yesterday, we were in Poonch,” she told reporters.
She said they visited the hospital to witness firsthand the human cost of recent events.
“The people living in these border areas are the most vulnerable and, sadly, the most neglected. We met Imtiaz Ahmed, who lost his hand. He was the sole breadwinner of his family but now he would be unable to work or earn a living. He has three children and is left helpless,” she said.
Expressing deep sympathies with the families affected, she said, “We also met 12-year-old Ruksana, who suffered severe damage to her leg. She can no longer run or attend school. These are heartbreaking human tragedies unfolding in the border regions of Rajouri and Poonch.”
Ghose took a dig at the government and alleged local communities in the border areas were being neglected.
“Why have they not received better protection? These innocent people are on the frontlines, defenceless against cross-border shelling. Why must they suffer such grave injuries?” she asked.
Expressing her sorrow, Ghose said, “Our hearts are broken. We return with deep sorrow after witnessing the suffering endured by the people of this region.”
The delegation led by Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien visited Jammu district to assess the situation following recent escalations along the border that resembled a “war-like” scenario.
The delegation visited the Saint Mary’s Garrison Church and interacted with bishops and other members of the local Christian community.
Speaking to reporters in Jammu, Derek O’Brien said the delegation “witnessed the immense suffering of the people, especially those affected by continuous border firing”.
Everyone should support the rehabilitation of these affected families, the TMC MP said, adding that his party will raise the concerns of the border residents in Parliament and other relevant platforms.
“We will speak strongly for the people of Poonch and other border areas whose lives have been severely impacted,” he said.
The TMC leader also extended his gratitude to National Conference leader Omar Abdullah for his positive remarks about the delegation’s visit. “We thank chief minister Omar Abdullah for his encouraging words regarding our outreach to the people of Jammu and the border regions,” he said.
National Conference leader and former MLA Aijaz Jan expressed his gratitude to West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee for sending a delegation to Jammu and Kashmir to witness the human tragedy caused by cross-border shelling from Pakistan.
“We thank the team members for their visit. They came to Rajouri and Poonch, met the families of the victims and the injured, and expressed solidarity with them,” he said.
