NDTV Ground Report: "Where Will We Go" - Uri Locals After Heavy Pak Shelling

In the village of Salamabad, located barely ten kilometres from the Line of Control (LoC) in the Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir, the aftermath of recent artillery fire from across the border paints a grim picture. Two civilian homes have been obliterated by Pakistani shelling, with four people injured in the incident, including two children. All four have been evacuated to the district hospital in Baramulla, approximately 40 kilometres away.

A dense cloud of smoke still hangs over the ruins, evidence of fires still smouldering long after the shells landed. The signs of artillery impact are clear. Shrapnel has torn through metal rooftops and fragmented concrete walls. NDTV, speaking to locals on the ground, learned that at least one shell appeared to have exploded in the air, spreading white-hot metal shards in all directions. Twisted utensils, collapsed roofs, and damaged interiors, the destruction of these houses is near-total.

'Where Will We Go?'

"Four people live in this house," said an elderly man, pointing at charred ruins. "Two children, a 13-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy, were injured when, around 2 am, a Pakistani artillery shell fell on the house."

This damage occurred in a civilian settlement with no military presence. Local residents reiterated that the nearest army brigade is several kilometres behind the site of the shelling. "We are not soldiers. We are farmers. We have families here," one elderly villager said. "Where will we go?"

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Eyewitnesses say the shelling began around 2 am and continued intermittently until close to midday. Villagers reported hearing the distinctive thuds of artillery and bursts of small arms fire well into the late morning. Some residents, fearing further escalation, fled at dawn. Others remained, bound to their homes, livestock, and livelihoods.

Several houses were damaged in Uri because of Pak shelling.

"There was not one shell but multiple. There was deafening noise. There's a lot of fear, but where will we go? Where will the poor go? We don't have anything," said another man, speaking with NDTV. 

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Many villagers, including families with injured children, have fled to temporary shelters in Baramulla. Yet others remain, guarding damaged homes and scorched fields. The area remains volatile. The shelling and uncertainty has prevented forensic teams from entering the affected homes. Local police made a brief appearance early in the morning to coordinate evacuations. There is no presence of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, nor of Army engineering corps, to assess structural damage or neutralise unexploded shells.

Heavy Pak Shelling 

The attack on Salamabad follows India's airstrikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Codenamed Operation Sindoor, the operation aimed at dismantling terror infrastructure, including Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) training camps, triggered an immediate response from Islamabad. 

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Residents say the destruction is consistent with high-velocity air-burst rounds, which detonate in the air, dispersing white-hot shrapnel across a wide radius. The level of damage suggests the use of either 130 mm or 155 mm caliber artillery shells, weapons known for their destructive power. According to sources, Pakistan has recently deployed Chinese-origin SH-15 self-propelled howitzers along the LoC. These truck-mounted artillery systems, with a range of 53 kilometres, allow rapid repositioning and precision strikes.

In one house, the roof has collapsed entirely. The outer wall has crumbled, exposing the interior, revealing burnt beds, bookshelves splintered, and children's toys scattered under debris.

Why India Carried Out Strikes

India's strikes deep in Pakistani territory were in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people dead. India struck nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, neutralising several terrorists.

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Each of the nine sites selected for the operation had a history of association with major terror plots and infiltration attempts directed at India. India identified these sites based on cumulative assessments of their significance to the terrorist ecosystem across the India-Pakistan border.

India utilised a suite of high-precision, long-range strike weapons in the operation. Among these were the SCALP cruise missile, the HAMMER precision bomb, and loitering munitions.

It took just 25 minutes for India to unleash 24 missiles that struck nine terror camps and killed 70 terrorists in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The strikes lasted from 1:05 AM to 1:30 AM on May 7.