Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Aug 4: A day after India and Pakistan announced NSA level talks on August 23 and 24, Pakistani Rangers opened up the International Border (IB) pounding forward villages and BSF posts in Pargwal, Kanachak and RS Pura sectors with mortars and heavy arms firing today, killing a youth and injuring four others including a BSF jawan while several people shifted to safer places in anticipation of fresh firing from across the border. A number of houses and crops were also damaged in the shelling while several cattle were injured.
Twenty one forward villages and 19 BSF posts along the IB came under intense shelling with 82mm mortars and heavy arms firing during the day, which the BSF retaliated effectively. The shelling and firing stopped along the IB at 4 pm but the people living in the border villages either confined them to bunkers or left for safer areas in the houses of their relatives. Administration has also made arrangements for accommodating the people in shelter places if they migrated.
Meanwhile, Pakistan today claimed that its two civilians were killed in alleged firing by Indian troops on the International Border opposite Akhnoor sector.
Pakistan lodged a protest with India’s mission in Islamabad over firing by Indian troops in Pukhlian-Akhnoor sector in which two civilians were killed aged 14 and 22 and seven others, including three children and two women, injured, the Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Pakistani Rangers opened firing targeting all forward villages in Pargwal and Kanachak sectors at 6.55 am when the people had started coming out of their houses to work in the fields. Small arms firing was soon followed by 82mm mortar shelling. Later, the Rangers also started firing using heavy weaponry.
Heavy shelling and firing was reported from Garkhal, Sidherwan, Nikowal, Maljodha, Brahaman Bela, Mala Bela, NS Pura, Hamirpur Kona, Najwal, Bhalwal Molu, Rajpura, Pargwal, Old and New Kanachak villages located close to the IB. Several mortar shells fell close to houses of the people and the fields, where they were working in. The BSF posts were also targeted but they gave effectively reply to the shelling.
A youth Sanjay Kumar Sharma, 24, son of Bishan Dass Sharma, a resident of Hamirpur Kona, sustained serious injuries in mortar shelling while working in his fields close to his house. He was evacuated from the site of shelling and was being shifted to the Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu but he succumbed to his injuries due to excessive bleeding.
A BSF jawan Arjun YC, 26, son of Jai Lappa R/o Karnataka, was also hit by a bullet while manning a forward post in Kanachak sector and was injured. He too was evacuated and shifted to the GMC Jammu, where he was responding to the treatment. Body of Sanjay Sharma has been handed over to his family after post-mortem.
A teenager Bachan Singh also sustained minor injuries after being hit by splinters of mortars at Hamirpur Kona. He was treated in the local hospital.
Sources said several villagers in Kanachak and Pargwal sectors had narrow escape as mortar shells exploded close to their houses. Though a number of houses were damaged in mortar shelling, the people survived by taking shelter either inside the houses or the bunkers. The crops also suffered huge damage in the shelling and firing in the forward areas.
Prior to shelling and firing, the BSF early today spotted movement of two militants trying to infiltrate into the Indian territory from Kanachak sector and opened firing to neutralize them. After about half an hour exchange of firing, the militants retreated to Pakistan, finding the BSF troopers on very high alert on the IB.
“The infiltration attempt by the militants was foiled on the border,” sources said, adding the militants were equipped with deadly weapons and their reported plan was to target the forward BSF posts, which was evident from the direction they were taking for intruding into the Indian territory.
According to sources, Pakistani Rangers resorted to firing simultaneously when the militants were trying to infiltrate into this side. “This clearly indicated that the infiltration attempt was being facilitated by the Rangers to target the BSF jawans with sniper attack,” they said. It may be mentioned here that an Army jawan was recently killed in sniper attack along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch sector.
The BSF had prior information about movement of the militants across the IB in Kanachak sector. They had been maintaining high alert to thwart the infiltration attempt, sources said.
At about 9.55 am, the Rangers opened another front on the International Border in RS Pura sector by resorting to mortar shelling and firing in forward villages including Sangral, Mangral, Abdullian, Korotana Khurd, Tube Well 5, Samka, Chanku Shah, Tonkanwali and surroundings apart from the BSF posts.
The BSF retaliated strongly.
Two civilians were injured in shelling and firing. Sandeep Choudhary, 25, son of Bhagwan Dass R/o Chanku Shah, RS Pura sustained serious injuries in the shelling and was shifted to the GMC Jammu while Rashpal Singh son of Saidan Singh, a resident of Tonkanwali had minor injuries.
People soon deserted the fields in all forward villages of RS Pura sector and took shelter in their houses. Heavy exchanges between BSF and Rangers continued till 4 pm in all three sectors of RS Pura, Kanachak and Pargwal after which no firing or shelling was reported from any place. However, the people remained confined in their houses and bunkers as they anticipated that the shelling could resume anytime.
“A total of 21 villages and 19 forward BSF posts were targeted by the Rangers during shelling and firing in three sectors on the IB,” sources said.
Meanwhile, speaking to electronic media this evening, IF BSF Jammu Frontiers Rakesh Sharma said the BSF has given “very strong response” to Pakistan shelling and firing during the day. He added that the BSF also thwarted infiltration attempt by two militants in Kanachak sector.
“Our response to Pakistan shelling and firing was very strong. We have thwarted infiltration attempt also,” Sharma said, adding 30 to 40 militants, or may be even more, were waiting at launching pads across the IB to infiltrate into this side but the BSF was determined to foiled their plans.
Asserting that there was no visible impact of ISIS in Jammu, he said the BSF was ready to meet any kind of threat on the borders. He described Pakistan firing as completely unprovoked and regretted targeting of the civilian areas directly, leading to casualties and damages.
Sharma said the BSF was fully geared up to meet with any misadventure from Pakistan during Independence Day celebrations.
Meanwhile, a number of civilians living in border areas of Pargwal, Kanachak and RS Pura have shifted to safer areas, mostly in the houses of their relatives. Administration has also made arrangements for accommodating the civilians in the Government buildings in case they migrated from their houses.
Administration was keeping strict vigil on situation developing on the International Border and would take decisions accordingly, sources said.
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