Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has pledged to adopt 22 children from Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district who lost their parents or family breadwinners in cross-border shelling during Operation Sindoor.
His initiative will ensure complete educational support for the children until they graduate.
The announcement was confirmed by J&K Congress chief Tariq Hamid Karra, who said the first aid instalment will be released this week to enable the children to resume their schooling without disruption.
These children were identified following Gandhi’s visit to Poonch in May, during which he directed party leaders to conduct a detailed survey of the affected families. The final list of children was cross-verified with government records.
During the visit, Gandhi also met students of Christ Public School, including classmates of Urba Fatima and Zain Ali, 12-year-old twins who lost their lives in the shelling. He offered emotional reassurance to the children, telling them:
“You miss your little friends. I’m very sorry about that. Now, you feel a little bit of danger and 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.”
About Operation Sindoor
Operation Sindoor was India’s large-scale retaliatory response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. The operation targeted nine terror hubs across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, reportedly neutralising over 100 terrorists.
The operation concluded on May 7, with India and Pakistan reaching a ceasefire understanding by May 10. However, areas like Poonch witnessed significant civilian casualties, including children like Vihaan Bhargav, who died while his family fled from the bombardment.
Rahul Gandhi’s gesture has been seen as a humanitarian outreach during one of the region’s most traumatic episodes in recent memory.
