Rahul Gandhi Adopts 22 Orphaned Children from Poonch Affected by Operation Sindoor Conflict

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has committed to adopting 22 children from Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district who lost parents or family breadwinners during the cross-border violence linked to Operation Sindoor.

According to Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Tariq Hamid Karra, Gandhi will fully fund the children’s education until graduation. The first aid instalment is set to be released this week to ensure uninterrupted schooling.

The initiative follows Gandhi’s visit to Poonch in May, where he instructed local party leaders to identify affected children. A subsequent survey, cross-verified with government records, finalized the list.

During the visit, Gandhi also met classmates of 12-year-old twins Urba Fatima and Zain Ali, who were killed in the shelling. Offering words of comfort, he told the children, “You miss your little friends… 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.”

Poonch was among the worst-hit areas during the Pakistani shelling that followed India’s counter-offensive. Among the civilians killed was Vihaan Bhargav, a young boy struck by shrapnel.

Operation Sindoor was launched by India in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. On May 7, Indian forces struck nine terror hubs across Pakistan and PoK, reportedly neutralizing over 100 terrorists. A ceasefire understanding was reached between India and Pakistan on May 10.