‘Bunker’ becomes the new cry for safety in shelling-ravaged border towns of J&K

Srinagar: With fear gripping border towns like Poonch, Rajouri, Tanghdar, and Uri in Jammu and Kashmir amid intensified cross-border shelling, the word on every resident’s lips is “bunker".

As Pakistani artillery shells rained down on civilian areas earlier this month, including towns that had remained untouched even in past wars, the call for constructing more underground shelters has grown louder than ever.

Locals say bunkers are now their only hope of survival during Pakistan’s unrelenting shelling and escalation following Operation Sindoor—India’s retaliatory military action in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

“When the shells start falling, it’s only the bunkers that can save us,” said septuagenarian Mushtaq Ahmed, a resident of Poonch town, where fear still lingers in the air. “For the first time since independence, Poonch city itself came under direct fire.”

During the night of May 6 and 7, dozens of artillery and mortar shells from across the Line of Control (LoC) struck residential areas of Poonch, killing 12 civilians and injuring at least 60 others, some critically.

“This did not happen even during the wars of 1965, 1971, or Kargil in 1999,” Ahmad added. “Poonch town was always considered a safe zone. This is a turning point.”

Meha Dixit, a freelance journalist who has been camping in the worst-hit Mendhar tehsil of Poonch, told DH, “Everywhere I went, I saw fear etched into the faces of parents clutching their children. The shell-shocked residents told me, again and again, that all they want are bunkers—something, anything—to protect their children from the horror raining down from the skies. It’s heartbreaking. They just want their kids to live.”

In response to the public outcry and growing insecurity, the Jammu and Kashmir administration is preparing a proposal for the construction of more bunkers in vulnerable areas. The plan, expected to be sent soon to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, includes both community and individual bunkers, especially in towns and villages now proven to be within the shelling range of the Pakistan Army.

“While there can be some community bunkers, the ultimate solution lies in the construction of individual bunkers in areas exposed to long-range shelling,” a senior official said. “The recent shelling in Poonch and Rajouri towns has made it clear that these urban centres can no longer be considered safe.”

Over the last decade, nearly 9,500 bunkers have been built in border villages along the LoC and International Border, according to J&K Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo. But the demand remains high. “We will build more bunkers, and there will be no shortage,” Dulloo said, acknowledging the urgent need for shelter amid the deteriorating security situation.

For the residents of border towns, bunkers have transformed from optional structures into a lifeline. With no end in sight to the confrontation between India and Pakistan, their plea is simple: “Give us bunkers before it’s too late.”