Schools and colleges in Rajouri district reopened on Monday after being closed because of shelling by Pakistan. The schools were closed for safety as a precaution during the cross-border firing. Now that the situation has improved, the authorities have allowed classes to start again. Visuals show students going back to their schools and people returning to their daily lives. The administration is still watching the situation carefully to keep students and staff safe. Following the understanding of the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan on May 10, life is gradually returning to normal in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir. Although caution and fear persist, locals have started reopening shops and resuming daily routines. Residents of Rajouri, who faced immense hardships due to intense cross-border shelling, are slowly stepping back into everyday life.
Local residents in Rajouri describe a community struggling to recover from recent shelling. Neeras Sin, a hotel worker, reported curtailed business hours and dwindling customer traffic due to persistent fear. While markets are partially functioning, schools and madrasas remain closed, and children have been sent home. Khalilur Rahman noted that despite the cessation of hostilities, uncertainty persists, hindering a full return to normalcy and exacerbating financial hardship, especially for daily wage earners. An 85-year-old resident, a veteran of multiple wars, pleaded for peace, lamenting the unprecedented terror of the recent shelling, the disruption of work, and the absence of children from schools. Ravid Ahmed, a construction worker, confirmed that work remains stalled due to the departure of laborers, primarily from outside the region, who are hesitant to return. He emphasized that even limited shelling was enough to trigger widespread fear and displacement, preventing the resumption of construction projects.
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Operation Sindoor was India's decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Launched on May 7, Operation Sindoor led to the death of over 100 terrorists affiliated with terror outfits like the Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen. After the attack, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling across the Line of Control and Jammu and Kashmir as well as attempted drone attacks along the border regions, following which India launched a coordinated attack and damaged radar infrastructure, communication centres, and airfields across 11 airbases in Pakistan. After this, on May 10, an understanding of the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan was announced.