x

Like our Facebook Page

   
Early Times Newspaper Jammu, Leading Newspaper Jammu
 
Breaking News :   Terror victim families, forsaken and forgotten, suffered silently for decades: LG Sinha | Over 1,200 terror victim families reach out to administration after LG’s initiative | Suspension of IWT: Centre to expedite work on Kwar Dam, stop Chenab’s water to Pakistan | Fresh batch of over 7,000 pilgrims leaves for holy cave shrine | 10 pilgrims injured in Kulgam mishap | MHA says radicalisation in prisons critical challenge | PM Modi hails contribution of 4 nominated Rajya Sabha members | Teenage boy drowns, 2 missing after slipping into canal | Phase-3 clinical trial enrolment for India’s first Dengue vaccine to be completed by October: ICMR | New BrahMos testing facility will strengthen India’s self-reliance: Rajnath Singh | The Need to Understand Patterns of Life | Unrolling the Fun - Celebrating National Tape Measure Day | “Equals, not behind: Kerala schools’ new seating arrangement a revolutionary step” | Army Goodwill Schools | Pahari Tribe ST Forum held One Day Convention | IIM Jammu to hold a five-day Holistic Orientation Programme | Sahib’s worship Shri Madhuparamhans Ji Maharaj, while delighting the congregation | Indian Railway Story Japan fell in love With | Reasi police arrest absconder wanted in three cases | Natrang present Hindi play ‘Tauba-Tauba’ | Prime Minister launches the 16th phase of Rozgar Mela for giving 51 thousand jobs in Central Govt Departments | Missing lady traced out | ABRSM holds monthly meeting | Indian Army joins Peer Sakhi Sarwar Mela | Keshav Chopra organizes 99th Free Health Screening Camp | UP govt deploys over 10,000 female police personnel along Kanwar Yatra | Cop booked for allegedly sexual assaulting constable’s wife | Kavinder slams Omar for distorting history, calls Jallianwala Bagh victims true Freedom Martyrs | High altitude cardiac risks among Amarnath Yatra pilgrims: Dr Sushil | Mixed teams miss the medal round at shooting World Cup | Harikrishnan A Ra becomes 87th GM; coach wants him to compete in big events | Don't know why Shubman was getting massage during middle of 2nd day's play: Tim Southee | Tendulkar’s portrait unveiled in MCC Museum | As good a piece of time-wasting I've seen, but India can't complain: Vaughan on Crawley tactics | Shooting trials begin in Meghalaya in preparation for 2027 National Games | IOA President PT Usha forms committee to ascertain delay in BFI elections | Back Issues  
 
news details
Weeklong ceasefire fails to ease fear among border residents
LIFE IN SHADOWS OF BORDERS
5/18/2025 11:01:36 AM

Samba (Indo-Pak Border), May 17: Even after five days of silence along the International Border, residents of border villages remain on edge—many still spending their nights in underground bunkers.
 
For Parduman Kumar and his family in Samba, this has become a nightly ritual. As darkness falls, they retreat into a bunker within their home's premises, driven by a deep mistrust of Pakistan's intentions.
 
 
 
Parduman is not alone. Across villages in Arnia, RS Pura, Ramgarh, Samba, and Kathua, families continue to live with the fear that the ceasefire, declared just a week ago by the DGMOs of India and Pakistan, might be temporary. While most residents have returned to their homes, the trauma of recent hostilities keeps them vigilant.
 
 
 
In Arnia, 60-year-old farmer Ravinder Singh shares his unease: “This silence is strange. We welcome the ceasefire, but we can’t ignore the past. One flare-up and it could all start again.” His home, like many others near the border, has a concrete bunker built during years of cross-border firing. Each night, his family of six takes shelter there, blankets and water in hand, prepared for the worst.
 
 
 
Similar fears echo in RS Pura, where Parveen Sharma, a 28-year-old shopkeeper, says, “We came back because this is our land, our home. But the bunker is now a part of our life. We can’t sleep peacefully without being ready to rush in.” Her family’s bunker, though small and cluttered, has become their refuge after sunset. Children in the area are showing signs of anxiety—restless sleep, sudden fear, and constant unease.
 
 
 
In Ramgarh, shopkeeper Sanjeev Kumar highlights another challenge—livelihood. “We’re trying to return to normal, reopening shops and working the fields. But how normal is it to sleep in a bunker every night? Peace feels distant,” he laments. While many bunkers were built under government schemes, some families with limited means have had to rely on improvised structures that offer little real protection.
 
 
 
For thousands living in these sensitive zones, the ceasefire has brought a fragile sense of relief—but not peace. Their nights in bunkers are a powerful testament to the lingering fear and uncertainty that persist despite official declarations of calm.
 
 
 
Until trust is rebuilt and normalcy truly returns, for the people of Arnia, RS Pura, Ramgarh, Samba, and Kathua, the bunker remains not just a shelter, but a symbol of survival in a fragile peace.
 
  Share This News with Your Friends on Social Network  
  Comment on this Story  
 
 
 
Early Times Android App
STOCK UPDATE
  
BSE Sensex
NSE Nifty
 
CRICKET UPDATE
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
Home About Us Top Stories Local News National News Sports News Opinion Editorial ET Cetra Advertise with Us ET E-paper
 
 
J&K RELATED WEBSITES
J&K Govt. Official website
Jammu Kashmir Tourism
JKTDC
Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board
Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board
Shri Shiv Khori Shrine Board
UTILITY
Train Enquiry
IRCTC
Matavaishnodevi
BSNL
Jammu Kashmir Bank
State Bank of India
PUBLIC INTEREST
Passport Department
Income Tax Department
JK CAMPA
JK GAD
IT Education
Web Site Design Services
EDUCATION
Jammu University
Jammu University Results
JKBOSE
Kashmir University
IGNOU Jammu Center
SMVDU