Hyderabad: Former MP and ex-TPCC president V. Hanumantha Rao has welcomed Rahul Gandhi’s decision to adopt 22 children orphaned by Pakistan shelling during Operation Sindhoor, calling it a humanitarian gesture.
The Congress veteran said Gandhi would fund the complete education of the children from Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, supporting them until graduation. Most lost both parents or their primary caregivers in the shelling.
Gandhi, during a May visit to Poonch, had directed Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Tariq Hamid Karra and other state leaders to identify the most severely affected children. A follow-up survey was conducted, and names were cross-verified with government records before finalising the list.
Hanumantha Rao urged the public to support Gandhi in helping these children and the bereaved families.
Poonch was among the worst-hit regions during Pakistani shelling that followed the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which killed 26 civilians. Among the victims was Vihaan Bhargav, a child struck by shrapnel while fleeing with his family.
