JAMMU: Two women of a family were today killed and 15 others injured in heavy mortar shelling and firing by Pakistani troops along the international border in Jammu and Kashmir, taking the death toll to eight in the continued ceasefire violations by Pakistan for over a week.
Pakistani Rangers targeted 50 border out posts (BoPs) and 35 hamlets overnight along the 192-km boundary. The escalation has triggered an exodus, with 16,000 people moving to safer areas from border villages.
Over 70 people have been injured in the ceasefire violations by Pakistan, including 15 today.
Pakistani Rangers target Chillary village along IB in Samba district around 0730 hours today. In the mortar shelling, Shukuntla Devi and her daughter-in-law Poli Devi were killed while their husbands along with two children of Poli were injured, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Samba, Anil Mangotra told PTI.
All the inhabitants of village with a population 1,700 have fled from border hamlet to safety.
Along the Line of Control (LoC), the firing stopped last night in Mendhar & Poonch sectors after Indian forces gave a befitting reply, defense officials said.
Among the 15 injured today, three were BSF jawans. All of them have been shifted to Government Medical College (GMC) hospital, the SSP said.
Jorda Farm border hamlet was hit by shelling at 0900 hrs, police officials said. Six persons were injured when they were returning after night stay in shelter camp in R S Pura. They were shifted to GMC hospital for treatment, they said.
Earlier, a BSF spokesman today said that “Pakistani Rangers again resorted to unprovoked mortar shelling and heavy firing on BSF posts all along IB since 2000 hours last night.”
As many as 50 BSF BoPs were affected by the fire from Pakistan side, he said, adding areas along IB in Arnia, R S Pura, Kanachak and Pargwal sub-sectors in Jammu and Samba districts were targeted.
Eight people have been killed and 71 others including BSF jawans injured in Pakistani shelling and firing along LoC and IB in Jammu and Poonch districts in over two dozen ceasefire violations since October 1 this year.
On Monday, Pakistani troops violated ceasefire by resorting to heavy firing and shelling in Arnia belt along IB in Jammu in which 5 people were killed and 34 injured.
On October 3, Pakistani troops violated ceasefire in Gulmarg sector of Kashmir Valley and in Poonch and Jammu sectors in which a girl was killed and six persons were injured. . Giving further details, the BSF spokesman said almost all the BSF posts in Samba, Hiranagar belt of Kathua district were targeted by Pak Rangers. The firing in some areas of Arnia was still going on this morning.
“BSF troops at all the places gave a strong and befitting reply to fire from Pak,” he said.
There has been heavy firing and mortar shelling over 25 to 27 border hamlets in forward areas of Jammu district since last night, District Magistrate Jammu Ajeet Kumar Sahu told PTI.
Over 15,000 people have migrated from border hamlets along IB in Jammu to safer places due to the firing and shelling, the DM said, adding that relief camps have been set up for them.
In Samba and Kathua districts, over 10 to 15 border villages have been targeted by Pakistani Rangers, officials said.
Over 1500 to 2000 people have also migrated from forward villages along IB in Samba and Kathua districts.
Along LoC, the firing and shelling by Pakistani troops in Balnoie, Mankote, Mendhar, Bhimbher Gali, Balakote and Poonch forward areas ended last night, Army officials said.
A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) Subash Singh was among three army men injured in Sabjian belt of Poonch sector.–PTI
