No Eid Celebrations in a Kashmir Village as Tribute to Poonch Martyrs

Srinagar: Inhabitants of Sangiote, a village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district have refrained from having Eid festivities this year as a tribute to the five jawans of the Indian Army martyred in the terror attack on Thursday.

A pall of gloom has descended on Sangiote, a village of about 4,000 inhabitants. The army truck that was targeted by the terrorists was transporting fruits and food materials to Sangiote village for Thursday evening’s Iftar. According to an Indian Express report, the arrangements for Iftar at the village were being made by the Rashtriya Rifles unit deployed in the area. Villagers were invited to attend the Iftar event at 7 pm on Thursday.

The truck attacked by the terrorists was carrying food materials from the Rashtriya Rifles headquarters at Basooni in Balakote. But just about 8 km from Sangiote village, it was ambushed by terrorists.

“Villagers of will not celebrate Eid on Saturday. We’ll only offer namaz,” the sarpanch of the Sangiote panchayat, Mukhtiaz Khan, was quoted by the Indian Express as saying. “The deceased were part of the Rashtriya Rifles unit deployed in our village and our thoughts are with their families,” Khan added.