Poonch kids return to shell-damaged classrooms, mourn 3 friends killed in Pakistani firing - 'They should have been here'

A property damaged after heavy firing and shelling by Pakistan military overnight across the Line of Control, in Jammu and Kashmir (Representational image)

A week after intense cross-border shelling from Pakistan left at least 13 civilians dead and over 60 injured in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, Christ School reopened on Monday to scenes of heartbreak, silence and sparse attendance, according to a report by The Indian Express. Among those killed in the May 7 attack were three of the school’s students - twins Urwa Fatima and Zain Ali of Class 5 and Class 8 student Vihaan Bhargav - whose absence loomed large over the morning assembly.

“This ground belongs to them and they were supposed to be standing here,” school’s principal Fr. Shijo Kanjirathingal was quoted as addressing a solemn gathering of fewer than 300 students - a sharp drop from the usual strength of 1,200. A moment of silent prayer marked the return, with grief etched into the faces of students and staff still coming to terms with the tragedy.

All around the campus, the impact of the May 7 attack remains visible — broken glass panes, a damaged classroom door and a eucalyptus tree that absorbed the blast meant for the kindergarten wing. The school suspended classes immediately when the shelling began, but its basement served as a bunker for nearby families.

“We have another branch — Christ School, Degwar — just 3 km from the LoC. We always believed that one was more vulnerable. But instead, it was this school that was hit,” Fr. Kanjirathingal was quoted as telling The Indian Express. “Poonch town has never experienced shelling like this.”

In a junior classroom, long-time teacher Amrit Kaur, who has been with Christ School for 24 years, was overseeing a combined class due to low attendance. Many students were too young to fully grasp the scale of the tragedy, but teachers have encouraged them to speak up if they feel the need. According to her account to The Indian Express, the children were told to be courageous, as they are now growing up on the frontlines.

In the senior wing of the school, the absence of Class 8 student Vihaan Bhargav was deeply felt. His class teacher, Ranjeet Kaur, who had recently moved him to the front bench at his parents’ request for more attention, was unable to return to her own classroom on Monday. She asked her students to shift to another room, struggling with the emotional weight of returning to a space that no longer included one of her students. Vihaan had been reportedly travelling with his family to Jammu when shrapnel hit their vehicle. His cousin, Rajvansh Singh, a Class 7 student at Christ School’s Degwar branch, was critically injured in the same incident.

Many families fled the area following the shelling. Urwa Fatima and Zain Ali, the Class 5 twins, were on their way to Mandi when they were caught in the shellfire. According to The Indian Express, Urwa’s best friend, also her neighbour, was among the few who returned to school on Monday. Her father insisted she not be left alone, prompting the school to merge two sections and relocate the students to a different classroom.

The trauma of the shelling continues to weigh heavily on young students, especially those in the kindergarten section. Many, like the son of science teacher Monika Kapoor, have returned from Jammu visibly anxious and frightened by loud sounds, associating them with danger. For older students too, the violence has struck painfully close. Gurmanpreet Singh, a Class 12 student and former head boy, lost his uncle in the shelling — a stark reminder that the generational scars of conflict, from Partition to Kargil, are far from healed.

At the Degwar branch of Christ School, located just 6 km from the Line of Control, classes resumed under tight safety measures. Principal Fr. Liju inspected the grounds for any unexploded shells and said the school plans to bring in a counsellor to help students cope. Attendance remained low, with only 400 of 1,800 students returning. The morning assembly was called off to ease emotional pressure.

As both campuses try to find a sense of normalcy, the shadow of violence lingers - in damaged classrooms, hushed corridors and the uncertainty etched on every young face.