Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 9: After lull of two days, the Pakistani Rangers again resorted to heavy firing on the forward Indian posts at Regal, Chalyari and Suchetpur Kullian in Samba sector in early hours of this morning while police conducted a search operation at village Supwal Pain in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district after civilians claimed that they had observed movement of suspected militants in the village.
Official sources said the Rangers resorted to indiscriminate firing at three forward villages of Regal, Chalyari and Suchetpur Kullian in Samba sector at 12.30 am. The BSF immediately retaliated.
The firing was confined to small arms and there was no mortar shelling, they said, adding that intermittent exchange of firing between BSF and Rangers continued till 5 am after which there was no firing from any side. The day passed off peacefully in both Samba and Hiranagar sectors.
The villagers of Regal, Chalyari and Suchetpur Kullian have already migrated to safer areas in Samba. However, about 250 rounds fired by the Rangers during four and half hours long firing didn’t land in the villages, sources said describing Pakistan firing as completely unprovoked. They, however, didn’t rule out the possibility of an infiltration attempt by the militants under the cover of Pakistan firing.
The militants have made nearly half a dozen intrusion bids on the International Border (IB) in Hiranagar and Samba sectors during past 10 days but the BSF has thwarted their plans. About 70 militants camping in Sialkot sector of Pakistan were desperate to intrude into the Indian territory before Republic Day. The BSF was maintaining high alert on the IB in anticipation of reports about infiltration by the militants.
In the latest round of shelling and firing in Samba and Hiranagar sectors, three persons including two BSF jawans and a woman have been killed while 10 civilians were injured on the Indian side and seven Rangers have suffered fatal casualties.
A large number of people continued to stay in the migrants camps in Samba and Hiranagar though some of them did return to their houses in the morning to feed cattle. Sources said the border people were reluctant to return to their houses in view of deep shelling inside the Indian villages by Pakistan Rangers till return of complete peace on the borders.
Meanwhile, police conducted massive searches this morning at village Supwal Pain near Hariya Chak in Hiranagar sector after a woman tipped off the cops that she had observed movement of a group of suspected militants in the village.
Police conducted searches in all surrounding villages but there were no trace of militants, they said, adding even though it was dense fog in the area the militants could have been spotted if they had managed to infiltrate into this side.
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