SRINAGAR: A BSF head constable was killed and six civilians injured when Pakistani troops breached border ceasefire and fired and shelled Indian posts and civilian areas along the International Border (IB) in R S Pura and Arnia sectors in Jammu district while a soldier was killed and another injured while foiling infiltration bid of militants in Tangdhar sector in Kashmir.
BSF spokesman in Jammu told Express that Pakistani troops fired from automatic weapons and resorted to mortar shelling on BSF Border Out Posts (BOPs) and civilian areas in R S Pura and Arnia sectors of Jammu district last evening.
“The firing and shelling in Arnia sector stopped in the morning while it continued intermittently in the R S Pura sector till evening,” he said.
The spokesman said a BSF head constable Jitendra Kumar was killed in the Pakistani troops firing in R S Pura sector.
“Some of the mortar shells fired by the Pakistani troops landed in the civilian areas in Khopra Basti in R S Pura, causing injuries to six civilians,” he said adding the injured have been hospitalised.
The BSF spokesman said the border guards also effectively returned the fire and targeted the posts of Pakistani troops.
“We have caused damage to their posts and they may have suffered some casualties also,” he said adding they could see damage to the Pakistani posts.
He said BSF is the first line of defence and making every effort to ensure the safety of civilians in the border areas.
Meanwhile, a defence spokesman in Jammu Lt Colonel Manish Mehta said Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing on Indian army posts along Line of Control (LoC) in KG sector of Mendhar in Poonch district from 5.10 pm.
“The Pakistani troops fired from small arms and automatic weapons. They also fired 82mm mortar shells to our positions. Our men responded effectively and gave befittingly reply,” he said.
Mehta said no casualties or damage was caused by Pakistani troops firing on this side.
Head constable Jitendra is the 4th security men to be killed in Pakistani troops firing and shelling after army conducted surgical strikes on militant launch pads across Line of Control on September 28/29.
On October 24, a BSF constable Susheel Kumar was killed and two others including ASI injured in Pakistani troops firing in R S Pura sector.
On October 23, a BSF jawan Gurnam Singh succumbed to injuries he had sustained in Pakistani troops firing on October 21.
Earlier, on October 16, an army man Sepoy Sudees Kumar was killed in Pakistani firing along LoC in Rajouri sector.
Infiltration bid foiled in Tangdhar
An army official in Srinagar said alert army men foiled an infiltration bid of militants along Line of Control (LoC) in Tangdhar sector in border district of Kupwara.
He said the army men noticed a group of militants trying to infiltrate into this side. “They were signaled to stop. They fired on the soldiers. The fire was returned by the troops and in the ensuing gunfight, which was going on, a soldier was killed and another injured”.
The official said the injured soldier has been evacuated to army hospital for specialized treatment.
He said the operation against the militants along the LoC is going on.