Rajouri (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], May 14 (ANI): Security forces on Tuesday neutralised a live shell that was recovered earlier in the Nowshera area of Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir.

The live shells were reported after Pakistan's shelling across the Line of Control. The army successfully defused them for the safety of the locals in the border villages.

Heavy cross-border shelling by Pakistan after Operation Sindoor, conducted by the Indian Armed Forces in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack, had caused damage to homes and religious sites in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara, Uri, and Poonch. Despite this, locals vowed to stand with the Indian army.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Indian Army had managed to defuse unexploded shells in the residential areas of villages near the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also inspected community bunkers in Tangdhar and visited the shelling-affected areas.

After meeting residents affected by cross-border shelling in Kupwara, Chief Minister Abdullah said that the government will compensate the people after the damage assessment is completed.

'By God's grace, we haven't lost any lives here, but of course, there is a loss of public property like houses, shops, and Madrasa. The District Collector is with us. They will do the damage assessment. The assessment will be completed by today or tomorrow, and then the government will compensate the people accordingly. The immunity bunkers were made, but we didn't need them for a long time. And, we will try to build individual bunkers around the border and LoC areas,' Abdullah told mediapersons.

The J-K Chief Minister visited the Pakistani shelling-affected areas in Tangdhar and said that the residents affected have shown 'remarkable courage.'

'Visited the shelling-affected areas of Tangdhar and met families who have shown remarkable courage amidst deep pain. Their resilience is inspiring. The government stands shoulder to shoulder with them, their pain will not go unnoticed, and every possible step will be taken to help them rebuild their lives with dignity and renewed hope,' the Office of J-K CM posted on X.

After India and Pakistan came to an understanding of the cessation of hostilities, life slowly returned to normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir. (ANI)