‘We can’t eat, we can’t sleep’: Assam family describes situation in Jammu
An estimated 50 families from Assam, employed in various institutions across Jammu, are currently caught in the crisis
A file image of Security personnel examine the area following the attack in Baisaran Valley. (Photo: @basiitzargar/X)
Guwahati, May 10: Chaotic sirens, blaring through the silence, and a gripping sense of panic have taken over the lives of many in Jammu. Among them is Pallabi Borpatragohain, a native of Golaghat in Assam, who has been living in Jammu for the past seven years.
Today, she and her family are at the heart of the chaos, spending sleepless nights, anxiously waiting for the violence to end.
"Since Friday, the nights have been the most traumatic — filled with the wailing of sirens and flashes of missiles from across the border," said Pallabi, a mother of a four-year-old child. "But today, even the day is no different. We’ve been hearing sirens since morning. We don’t know what’s happening."
Her shaky, panic-stricken voice barely held together over the phone when The Assam Tribune reached out to her.
Pallabi Borpatragohain.
In the past 36 hours, tensions have escalated sharply between India and Pakistan, with Pakistani forces targeting Indian civilian areas. An estimated 50 families from Assam, employed in various institutions across Jammu, are currently caught in the crisis. Many have already begun leaving the region — but Pallabi cannot with her husband being a government employee, his outstation leave has been suspended.
“We can’t eat. How can one eat when there's so much fear and uncertainty?” she asked. “My four-year-old is terrified. I don’t know how to calm him down.”
Living in a rented house in Jammu, Pallabi and other families now spend most of their time on the building’s ground floor, fearing a missile strike could damage the upper levels. Power cuts and blackouts have forced them to rely on candles, and often they sit in complete darkness.
“I don’t have words to describe the tension. I’ve witnessed conflicts before, but nothing like this,” she added.
This isn’t Pallabi’s first brush with such violence. In 2019, while working as a health worker in Poonch, she narrowly escaped a Pakistani shell that crashed through the hospital roof where she was on duty.
Despite the horror unfolding around her, Pallabi says she is determined. “I have full faith in our armed forces. They will protect us,” she said, her voice trembling yet resolute.
“This is a time for us to stand strong and serve the nation in whatever way we can,” Pallabi said. “We are trying to stay calm and follow the government’s instructions. This too shall pass.”