ibn sultan
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will adopt 22 children from Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district who lost their parents or family breadwinners in the cross-border conflict during Operation Sindoor.
Rahul Gandhi with children and families affected by cross-border shelling by Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.(Congress)
The education of these children, many of whom were orphaned in the wake of Pakistani shelling, will be fully funded by Gandhi, with support continuing until they complete their graduation, The Indian Express reported, quoting Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Tariq Hamid Karra.
He said the first aid instalment will be released this week to ensure the students can continue their schooling without interruption.
‘Why did you stop?’: Rahul Gandhi interjects as Rajnath Singh details Operation Sindoor ceasefire | Watch
Gandhi, during a visit to Poonch in May, asked local party leaders to compile a list of affected children.
Subsequently, a survey was conducted, and the names of the children were finalised after cross-checking government records.
During his visit, Gandhi also stopped at Christ Public School to meet classmates of Urba Fatima and Zain Ali, 12-year-old twins who died in the shelling.
Speaking to the children, the Congress MP also offered some words of comfort.
“I feel very, very proud of you. 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,” the publication quoted Gandhi as saying.
Poonch, one of the regions hit hardest by the Pakistani shelling, saw several civilians, including children, injured. Among the lives lost was Vihaan Bhargav, a young boy killed by shrapnel as his family tried to escape the escalating violence.
