An assistant commandant of the Border Security Force was killed in sniper firing by Pakistan rangers along the International Border in Kathua district while two border guards were wounded in cross-border firing in Sunderbani area of Rajouri district on Tuesday, officials said.
The BSF personnel were carrying out border domination along the IB when snipers of Pakistan rangers opened fire on them at around 1050 hours in Hiranagar-Samba area of Kathua district, a senior BSF officer told PTI.
Assistant commandant Vinay Prasad was critically injured and was evacuated to the military hospital at Satwari (Jammu) where he succumbed to his injuries, he said.
On Sunday, an army soldier was injured in ceasefire violation along the LoC in Rajouri’s Keri area.
On Friday, an army porter was killed in a ceasefire violation in Nowshera area of Rajouri district. On the same day, a major and a soldier were killed in an IED blast along the LoC in Laam sub-sector of Rajouri.
2 BORDER GUARDS WOUNDED
An army soldier and a Border Security Force constable were wounded Tuesday when Indian and Pakistani armies exchanged gunfire in Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
An official told Greater Kashmir that the exchange of fire between the two sides took place at least seven times during the day.
In Kalal area of Nowshehra sector in Rajouri district, the official said, cross-border firing took place thrice on Tuesday.
“At around 12 noon, firing started in Kalal which continued until 12.45 pm. After a brief lull, firing again took place at around 1.05 pm which lasted for half an hour,” the official said.
At around 6.50 pm, firing started again which was going on intermittently when last reports came in.
In Kalal, the official said, both small and heavy arms, including machine guns, were used during the exchange of fire.
Similarly, in Krishna Ghati area of Mendhar (in Poonch district), cross border firing took place at around 6 pm in which five to six mortar shells landed near the Indian army posts in a forward location along the Line of Control.
“Besides, small arms firing was also going on intermittently in the area from 6 pm onwards,” the official said.
Meanwhile, in Sunderbani area of Rajouri, heavy cross-border firing took place in which two Indian border guards received injuries, according to a source.
The firing started in Malla area at round 10.45 am and continued for one and a half hour during which heavy machine guns were also used by both the sides alongside small automatic weapons.
“Later, both sides again exchanged gunfire at about 5 pm in which only small arms were used and the firing lasted for half an hour,” the official said.
A ceasefire violation allegedly took place again at around 6.30 pm in Sunderbani and the firing was going on when last reports came in.
A report said one army soldier of the rank of lance-naik and a BSF constable were injured in the fresh firing on LoC in Sunderbani.
“Both the injured personnel were evacuated from the spot. One of them was evacuated to Akhnoor army hospital and the other to Satwari army hospital, where the condition of BSF man is stated to be critical”, the source said.