Operation Sindoor: Even today the people of Simri are trying to forget that night, the story of that night is scary.

Simri is the last village of the country, Pakistan is across the river.

Simri. The river flowing through Simri village of Jammu and Kashmir divides it into two parts, on one side of which is India and on the other side is Pakistan occupied Kashmir. If there was a ‘Ground Zero’ of ‘Operation Sindoor’ then it would be Simri village, where the sound of cannon balls still echoes in the ears of the villagers who are trying to forget that night of a year ago.

It was from this border village surrounded by mountains that the Army fired shells across the Krishna Ganga river on the intervening night of May 6-7, 2025. This operation was launched by India to destroy terrorist hideouts in Pakistan in response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which was named ‘Operation Vermillion’. One year has passed, there is silence in this picturesque village situated in the foothills of Shamshbari mountain range in Tangdhar sector, about 180 kilometers from Srinagar.

Daily life may have returned to normal, but outsiders are greeted with silence and distrust. Many people go ahead saying that they only understand the Pahari language.

There are 80 houses in the village

Simri village, located at the end of the country, has a population of 500 and about 80 houses. There are traditional mud and wooden houses as well as about a dozen modern concrete buildings. If there was no strong current of the river, people from one end to the other could have made their views heard by shouting loudly to each other. The river is also a constant reminder that this is a divided land.

The villagers stayed in the bunker for several days

For the people of the village, ‘Operation Sindoor’ was not just a newspaper news but it was a storm of fire passing over the heads of the residents, which they felt very well. Ghulam Qadir is one of the few people who, despite reluctance, came forward to talk about this. Qadir said, we not only heard about the war but we also felt it by seeing shells raining in the sky. After the first night of shelling, the bunkers remained our home for a few days. Qadir said that he is proud of his village.

Simri is the last village of the country

The local secondary school in Simri has been designated polling station number one. A hand-written slogan welcomes visitors, reading, ‘Democracy begins here.’ When Qadir was asked what it feels like to be a resident of the last village in the country, he said, Now you must have understood that our village is the first village in the country and we are the torch bearers of democracy in the country.

village depends on army

He said, this school is a symbol of the spirit of Simri. Despite being geographically separated from the rest of the country by a security fence, people here consider themselves the primary guardians of the country’s democracy. The village is mainly dependent on the army personnel deployed in the area and many people work as laborers for them.

Drones fell in the village

For Iqbal, drones coming from across the border were more challenging than gunfire. The army fired several times to stop the infiltration of drones. He said, some drones fell in our area. The army successfully removed them. Iqbal praised the army for providing all kinds of relief during those turbulent days.

It is not easy to reach the village

It is not easy to reach this village, located eight kilometers away from the Teetwal area developed under the Border Tourism Scheme. There is a danger of landslides here and the strong water flowing from the surrounding slopes is often dangerous. The language spoken here is Pahari and the culture and customs here are different from those of mainland Kashmir or Kupwara district of North Kashmir.

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