SRINAGAR: A five-member Trinamool Congress (TMC) delegation survived a mid-air emergency during their flight to Srinagar before embarking on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir’s border regions affected by cross-border shelling.
The team, including MPs Sagarika Ghose, Derek O’Brien, Nadimul Haque, Manas Bhunia and Mamata Thakur, arrived on Wednesday evening after their IndiGo flight from Delhi was caught in a violent hailstorm. The aircraft, carrying nearly 200 passengers, issued an emergency alert to Srinagar air traffic control but landed safely. The plane’s nose cone was reportedly damaged during the turbulence.
Despite the incident, the delegation began their tour the next day, travelling to the border districts of Poonch and Rajouri, which have suffered heavily from Pakistani shelling following India’s Operation Sindoor — a military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
Speaking after a meeting with Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, TMC MP Sagarika Ghose described the visit as “a journey of empathy and solidarity.” She noted that the devastation in border areas like Poonch and Rajouri has been largely overlooked by national media. “No one is talking about their pain. We are here to ensure their voices are heard,” she said.
The delegation is also expected to visit Kupwara district, another LoC region that experienced intense shelling post-May 7. In the affected areas, civilians have been killed, homes destroyed, and entire families displaced.
The visit comes amid growing calls for accelerated relief and rehabilitation measures. While the elected J&K government has announced a compensation package, and the Lieutenant Governor has promised jobs for the next of kin of shelling victims, the TMC’s outreach seeks to supplement these efforts with national-level attention.
“Our visit is non-political,” Ghose said. “We are here to assure the people of these villages that they are not alone.”
The tour will conclude on May 23. The TMC has reiterated its commitment to advocating for an inclusive India that addresses the needs of all citizens, especially those in conflict-hit regions like Jammu and Kashmir.
