Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 18: The border villagers have been reminded of bad old days of pre-ceasefire agreement of November 2003 in Hiranagar, Akhnoor, RS Pura and Samba sectors in view of heavy shelling and firing by the Pakistani Rangers that yesterday left five civilians including three children and two women injured and forcing the people to stay off the fields at when paddy crop was ready for cutting.
The people living in forward villages of Najwal, Maljodha, Matkoola, Narsinghpura, Jaman Bela, Nikowal and surroundings in Pargwal sector of Akhnoor tehsil were terrified to such an extent after yesterday’s shelling and firing that they were not ready to move out of their houses.
A civilian Balwant Singh, who was witness to yesterday’s shelling and firing at Najwal as he was working in the fields, said: “we saw such kind of shelling and firing for the first time in past more than 10 years. We had forgotten pre-ceasefire agreement days. Normal firing on the BSF posts used to take place occasionally but yesterday it was worst’’.
Another civilian in the same village, Parmanand added that the Rangers directly shelled the villages and didn’t give any chance even to the people working in the fields to take shelter in the safer areas.
“This is ridiculous that the Rangers have targeted the innocent civilians working in the fields especially the women and children. All five injured civilians were women and children. Four civilians were hit by splinters or mortar shell in their house while a woman was hit by the bullet while working in fields,’’ a villager, Rattan Singh said and called upon the Government to make arrangements for their rehabilitation in safer areas till the hostilities between India and Pakistan ceased.
The people of all forward villages in Pargwal sector were of the view that the Government should make arrangements for their safety and protection during the firing. They called for speedy purchase of boats so that the injured could be evacuated from river Chenab in case of continued firing from Pakistan as main road of Pargwal falls within the firing range of Pakistan.
Majority of villagers were of the view that they would stay put in their houses to boost morale of the BSF and wouldn’t migrate. At the same time, they said, the Government should provide all facilities for their safety and protection.
The people were of the view that ceasefire agreement should be adhered to as it was in the best interest of the villagers living in forward areas of LoC and IB.
“For the past several years, we have been sowing crops in the fields located right up to the border. This year also, the crops have been sown and paddy has grown up for cutting but if the firing from Pakistan side continued we won’t be in a position to cut the crops. The threat of the crops getting damaged loomed large,’’ a group of civilians said.
The people were terrified after yesterday’s firing and shelling and none of them ventured out of their houses, least to say of venturing to fields or sending children to the schools, which remained closed. Even the passenger vehicles didn’t ply on the Pargwal road, which was within the firing range of the Rangers.
Very few people were seen sitting in the compound of their houses as majority of them stayed indoors.
Almost similar were the views of the people living in forward areas of Hiranagar, Samba and RS Pura sectors, which have also been witnessing heavy firing from Pakistan side for the past couple of days.
“The crops are ready when Pakistan has started firing. The people, whose fields were located within the firing range of Pakistan Army wouldn’t be in a position to cut the crops if the firing didn’t stop,’’ the villagers said.
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