BSF jawan, SPO injured in firing on IB

KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 10/22/2013 12:13:34 AM

Border villagers flee in panic

JAMMU, Oct 21: A Border Security Force (BSF) jawan and a Special Police Officer (SPO) were injured when Pakistani troops pounded mortars and opened heavy fire on at-least 10 Border out Posts along the International Border in Jammu and Samba districts. Pakistan on the other hand claimed that two of its civilians have been killed in "unprovoked" firing by Indian security forces along the International Border in Sialkot sector.
BSF officers said today that Pakistani Rangers fired from automatic weapons at BoP forward areas along the IB in R S Pura, Ramgarh, Kanachak, Arnia and Chicken Neck forward areas of Jammu and Samba districts throughout the night.
A BSF jawan and a Special Police Officer (SPO) were injured in Kandi-Arnia and Kanachak belts, they said, Pak Rangers also shelled civilian hamlets along the Indo-Pak border, triggering panic.
Official reports said that a Head Constable of BSF Mohammad Yousaf deployed with 200 Battalion BSF was injured after a bullet fired by Pakistani rangers hit him at BoP Pindi in Arnia sector of Jammu district, today.
In another incident, SPO Girdhari Lal posted with Police Station Kanachak was injured after a mortar shell fired from other side of IB fell near the police patrol party in Kanachak sector of Jammu district. He sustained splinter wounds on his waist.
Both injured were shifted to the Government Medical College (GMC) hospital for treatment.
BSF troops guarding the borderline with Pakistan took positions and retaliated, resulting in exchanges which continued till this morning, they said.
"They are firing round-the-clock on our posts and patrolling persons to inflict casualties," an injured BSF jawan said at GMC hospital.
The mortar shelling could be heard throughout the night in the outskirts of Jammu city. There was firing and shelling on eight posts in R S Pura forward area along IB in Jammu district last night (October 20), they said.
There has been continuous and daily firing along 190-km-long IB in Jammu, Samba and Kathua sectors, besides Line of Control (LoC) areas in Poonch since August 14. There were nearly 140 ceasefire violations reported this year, highest in the last eight years.
The people of at-least 20 border villages are in panic due to heavy firing and shelling and some of the villagers along with their families shifted to safer locations to save their lives.
Meanwhile official sources said that residents of two more villages were forced to abandon their homes and flee as Pakistan targeted 13 Posts of the Border Security Force (BSF) on the International Border Sunday night in Samba district.
A BSF official said that Pakistan Rangers used 82 mm mortars and other heavy weapons to target 13 BSF Posts in Samba district during the night.
“Unprovoked Pakistan firing started at 8.30 PM yesterday (Sunday) evening in Ramgarh and Arnia sectors of Samba. Our troops retaliated strongly to Pakistan fire. No damage or casualty occurred on our side,” the official said.
He confirmed that exchanges of fire stopped Monday morning, but intermittent firing continued at some places through the night.
Already living in fear, residents of two more villages situated close to the border in Samba district left their homes during the night.
“Villagers from Jasso Chak and SM Pura moved out to safer places because of firing from Pakistan side yesterday (Sunday) evening,” a district administration official told reporters in Samba town.
Reports from these villages said that while men decided to stay back to take care of their houses and livestock, most women and children moved out to Ramgarh town by midnight.
Frightened women and children have told reporters that Pakistani troops are targeting civilian homes in villages close to the International Border in Samba district.
Villagers from Suchetgarh Kulian village situated barely 400 metres from the International Border in Samba district, have already left their village and moved out and taken refuge in community halls and Radha Swami Satsang Ghar because of Pakistan shelling two days back.
Several cattle heads died while others were injured in an unprovoked Pakistani firing in Bamboo Chak and Rakh Avtal villages. A live shell fell at the house of Dalip Singh at Bamboo Chak but it failed to exploded due to which the family have a narrow escape. The standing crops at villages Bamboo Chak, Bandral Mangral, Allah-Mai-De-Kothe, Chambliyal, SM Pura, Jasso Chak, Rakh Avtal, Pindi Charkan, Kaku-de-Kothe, Suchetgarh Kullian and other villages of Ramgarh, Kanachak and Arnia sectors were damaged after Pakistani Rangers directly targeted the residential areas of these forward villages using assault rifles, LMGs, HMGs and mortar shells.
Pakistani troops pounded border villages at 8 PM last evening and heavy shelling and firing continued till 1 AM followed by intermittent firing, official reports claimed.
Pakistani troops had on October 19 opened fire and shelled mortars on at least 14 different forward posts and civilians areas in R S Pura, Pargwal, Samba, Hiranagar and Jagno Chack border belts along the IB in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts in which two BSF jawans were injured. On October 18, two BSF jawans were injured in Pakistan Rangers's firing on 10 BoPs and forward civilian areas along the IB in R S Pura, Pargwal and Samba areas.
Pakistan had also violated the ceasefire on October 17 by opening firing along the IB on Kharkola and Najwal (Pargwal) BoP of Jammu district resulting in injuries to five civilians, including three children.

 

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