For hundreds of residents of border villages in Kashmir’s Uri, the joy of returning home after a ceasefire was announced between India and Pakistan was short-lived.
As villagers headed to their homes on Sunday morning, their vehicles were stopped by the police on the way. The reason cited: “Unexploded munitions” after three days of intense artillery fire “could risk lives”.
A poster released by the and Kashmir Police advised residents returning to their homes to wait for an “official all-clear”.
“Every family that waits for the official all clear prevents a potential tragedy,” states the advisory, adding that “paths, fields and homes may contain active munitions”. The advisory listed some incidents from the past where civilian lives were lost due to unexploded shells.
Since the 2003 ceasefire, reiterated in February 2021, residents of the cluster of villages in Uri had moved on from a life of building bunkers. But the recent escalation between India and Pakistan meant Uri was once again in the crosshairs, becoming the target of intense shelling from across the border. According to estimates, over 20 people – including several security personnel – have been killed in the intense cross-border shelling in Jammu and Kashmir.
On Sunday morning, the police set up a checkpoint near Gantmulla on the Baramulla-Uri highway and stopped villagers from returning to their homes.
The Kupwara police also issued a similar advisory, asking residents not to return to their homes till unexploded shells are cleared. They warned of legal action against anyone not following the advisory.
“As per the prevailing security protocols, unauthorised re-entry into restricted zones is strictly prohibited and may lead to legal consequences under applicable laws,” reads the advisory. “These restrictions are enforced purely in the interest of public safety. Security checkpoints have been established to prevent unintentional access to contaminated zones.”
Advisories informed the villagers that the clearance of unexploded ordnance will take some time, and residents will be informed once it is done.
According to the officials, more than 50,000 villagers from the twin districts of Baramulla and Kupwara in north Kashmir either left for safer places on their own or were evacuated and shifted to shelters set up by the state government.
In Jammu
Similar unexploded shells led authorities in Jammu to spend all of Sunday defusing them. According to officials, several unexploded shells were found in Jammu region’s Samba and Poonch districts – both areas that saw intense shelling. The shells have been disposed of, officials said.
Sunday saw police vehicles fitted with public announcement systems doing rounds of these areas.
“Apart from clearing the areas hit by cross-border firing of any unexploded shells, the police are also carrying out searches to rule out the possibility of infiltration by any militants since May 7,” Shiv Kumar Sharma, the DIG of Jammu-Samba-Kathua range, said.
In Poonch, the district worst hit by the shelling, Senior Superintendent of Police Shafqat Hussain visited Mendhar sub-division’s Mankote village, asking people not to touch suspicious objects, and to report them to security officials.
“It may be a live shell, and timely action by the bomb disposal squad to defuse it will save lives,” he said.
