Uri (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], June 11 (ANI): A delegation of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), including the party's General Secretary MA Baby, visited Uri in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district to meet people affected by shelling by Pakistan.

CPI-M General Secretary MA Baby expressed reservations over the compensation amount of Rs 1.3 lakh given to the affected residents.

'The situation here is highly distressing, as you would have seen with the drone and shelling attacks. The government has only given Rs 1.3 lakh as compensation, which these days cannot even buy a proper door and window. This is highly deplorable, and we strongly disagree with the government's attitude. The democratic process has been destroyed here. Omar Abdullah is the Chief Minister; this is a Union Territory, and Modi and Amit Shah are controlling everything. We heard that the review meeting conducted with the Lieutenant Governor excluded the Chief Minister,' he said.

He further addressed the plight of the people affected by shelling, saying, 'An eight-member family has been given a small room--this attitude of the government needs to change. We, MPs from West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and other corners of the state, came here to raise the plight of people in border areas. We demanded a special session to discuss it, but the Prime Minister refused. He didn't even attend the all-party meeting, only giving lectures here and there.'

One of the delegates, CPI-M leader Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami, said, 'The people living in border villages should have access to bunkers for their safety. We have come here to express solidarity and tell them we stand with them. We assure them that we will be their voice in Parliament.'

The visit followed shelling by Pakistan in the civilian areas of Jammu and Kashmir post Operation Sindoor, which was conducted on May 7. The operation was conducted in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, including a Nepalese national.

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 and struck nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir in response to a ghastly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.

After the attack, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling across the Line of Control and Jammu and Kashmir as well as attempted drone attacks along the border regions, following which India launched a coordinated attack and damaged radar infrastructure, communication centres, and airfields across 11 airbases in Pakistan.

After this, on May 10, an understanding regarding the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan was announced. (ANI)