When the first artillery shell landed in Batapora, a small village on the Line of Control in the Tangdhar area of J&K’s Kupwara district, on May 7, Rafiq Ahmad and his brothers rushed to the bunker – a dilapidated 10×12-foot room.
The six brothers and their families, including 12 children, stayed there as shells rained outside and a sudden bright light penetrated the darkness. Five houses were on fire just above them.
Within half an hour, the cluster of houses, five shops and two taxis were in ruins. Pointing at the burnt houses, Rafiq’s brother Tasveer Ahmad (36) said, “We couldn’t save anything other than the clothes we were wearing. As the flames spread, we called the fire brigade and moved out of the bunker to salvage what we could. But the shells were raining down, and we ran back inside for safety.”
Rafiq, an ex-serviceman, said he spent four decades building the house. “It was finally complete. I had painted the last part just four days earlier,” he said. “Where will we go and whom should we ask for help?”
In the ruins of the houses lie a burnt washing machine, rice and pulses, school books, melted pots and clothes.
The fire brigade had arrived, but it ran out of water before it could stop the fire. “As they started to leave, I pleaded with them. Our houses were still burning, and I wanted them to save the last one so we had a place to live,” said Nargis Begum. “But they asked if they should save our houses or their own lives? I was angry and hit the windshield of the vehicle. My brother-in-law took out his vehicle, brought some water and tried to save the house.”
For the six families, the hours of shelling seemed like an eternity, and when the first light broke, they ran to a neighbour’s house.
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Batapora village lies near the LoC, a few kilometres from Tangdhar town. An artillery unit of the Army is a few hundred metres away.
Artillery shells landed deep inside Tangdhar town as well, devastating shops and houses.
“I have not seen such intense shelling in a long, long time,” said Nisar Ahmad (55), a resident of Shatpalla in Tangdhar. “The last time I remember such intense shelling was during the Kargil war of 1999.”
On Sunday, with the cross-border shelling coming to an end after a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, Rafiq and the six families returned to Batapora.
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“We have nothing to eat or wear, and the administration did not help,” said Tasveer. “DC (Deputy Commissioner) madam came once and said they would help, but no help has arrived so far. Our neighbours are feeding us,” he said.
Kupwara Deputy Commissioner Ayushi Sudan said that “food is available for distribution in Tangdhar”.
“We had gone there to assess the damage, and it (providing help) is in process,” the DC said.