J&K: BSF jawan, three civilians killed in cross-border firing along LoC

SRINAGAR: Three civilians including a one-year-old baby and a 6-year-old boy were killed and sixteen others wounded as Indian and Pakistani border guards exchanged small arms and mortar fire along the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir’s R.S.Pura and neighbouring areas over night and during the day on Monday.

Also, a Border Security Force (BSF) head-constable Susheel Kumar who was injured in the Pakistani Rangers’ firing in the R.S. Pura sector of the 193-km long border called ‘Working Boundary’ by Islamabad and International Border by New Delhi on Sunday succumbed in a Jammu hospital late in the night. Another BSF trooper was injured in the firing, officials said in Jammu on Monday.

This came a day after another BSF soldier Gurnam Singh, who was hit in a sniper attack in Hiranagar sector along the border in Kathua district on Friday night died in hospital.

Police officials in Jammu said that a 6-year-old boy died and 9 other civilians were injured in fresh shelling and firing by Pakistani border guards in the R.S Pura sector and neighbouring areas along the IB. “The Pakistanis resorted to unprovoked firing "in a complete bizarre manner" towards civilian areas at Laliyal village in R. S. Pura, killing the boy and injuring nine others one of whom-a woman- is critical,” an official said.

A BSF spokesman added that the Pakistan Rangers opened "indiscriminate" firing and mortar shelling on 25 Border Outposts (BoPs) and civilian areas in R.S.Pura and its neighbourhood. “There has been firing of small and automatic weapons and shelling of mortar bombs on over 25 BoPs and civilian areas in R. S. Pura, Arnia, Suchetgarh, Kanachak and Pargwal sub sectors of Jammu district since last night and it is still on,” the spokesman said. He also said that the BSF gave a "suitable reply" using the same calibre weapons.

In Islamabad, the Pakistani authorities said that two persons including a one-year-old baby were killed and seven others injured in “unprovoked” firing by the BSF across the border.  

The BSF had earlier warned Pakistan against any “misadventure” saying “We’re ready for any eventuality". Its Additional Director General, Arun Kumar, said on Sunday, “If they try to do anything, they will be given a befitting reply. We are fully prepared for that.”

The BSF and the Army have accused their Pakistani counterparts of indulging in as many as 40 ceasefire violations both along the IB and the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir after India in the last week of September said it conducted surgical strikes across the border in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir to target what it alleged were the launch-pads of terrorists. Pakistan strongly denied the cross-border raids but in counter-charge said that the Indian troops targeted its forward posts along the de facto border in violation of ceasefire agreement which left two of its soldiers dead.

The BSF had last week said it killed seven Pakistan Rangers in the retaliatory firing in Hiranagar sector of the Kathua district. Gen. Asim Bajwa, the Director General of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), while responding did say that the BSF targeted the Pakistan Rangers’ positions in Shakargarh area facing Hiranagar but termed its claim of killing 7 of Pakistan Rangers as “false”. He said that no Pakistani trooper was hit or killed in the Indian firing.

On Monday, the ISPR said in a statement, "Due to unprovoked Indian firing at the Working Boundary last night, a civilian Muhammad Latif of village Janglora and a minor Haniya embraced shahadat while seven civilians were injured." It claimed that the Pakistan Rangers Punjab responded "befittingly" to Indian firing and shelling in Harpal, Pukhlian and Charwah sectors on the border and that intermittent exchange of fire continued through the night.

It also said that the injured civilians have been shifted to Combined Military Hospital Sialkot. In an earlier statement issued on Sunday night, the ISPR had said that BSF troops opened fire in the Chuprar and Harpal sectors.