This Article is From Aug 29, 2014

A Night at a Migrant Camp for Victims of Border Firing

Women displaced by the ceasefire voilations settle down for the night at a migrant camp at RS Pura

RS Pura, Jammu: As ceasefire violations go unabated at the international border in Jammu, thousands of border residents are now fleeing their homes to migrant camps.

Around 2000 border firing victims from 10 villages have been calling the RS Pura boys higher secondary school home which has been transformed into a makeshift migrant camp.

But it is at night, that the temporary residents of this school are on an edge.

At the camps run by the army, nights are critical, that's when shelling and firing from the other side of border gets more intense.

But even as shelling gets more intense, the camp sees a steady stream of people arriving way past midnight.

For 85 years old, Ratnoo Singh it has been many hours of backbreaking journey from her village of Abdullian at the international border.  Ratnoo who suffers from arthritis is worried about the safety of her family members who preferred to stay back at home.

"For the last 10-12 days we are very worried, big shells are falling in our villages, and it is killing our livestock and we are in a lot of trouble", said Ratnoo Devi"

For the last 45 days Pakistani shelling and firing has become a daily affair at the international border in Jammu, the worst hit sectors are RS Pura and Arnia.

About 10,000 villagers (is this right?)are in process of shifting to about 12 migrant camps,  that the army has set up.

The army is also has chipped in to support the border migrants giving food and medical facilities...

"Army provides breakfast to the border migrants in morning... during the day we are giving them tea and lunch, medical facilities are being provided and we also arrange lunch for them", said Naib Subedar Indra Singh.

The army has been installed big movie screens in an effort to cheer the migrants in thier hour of crisis.   

 "We see the film and it gives us a lot of entertainment, it gives us relief and peace, we forget our worries for a bit", Sunita Devi, a border migrant told NDTV.

But even as food and entertainment are being take care of, most border residents are still longing for their villages and for a peaceful life free of bullets and mortars.


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