*Give very effective reply to Pak: HM
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 27: Ahead of Diwali, things have started getting worse along Indo-Pak frontiers with Pakistan extending heavy mortar shelling right from International Border (IB) in Kathua to Mendhar on the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district and Indian troops giving very effective response, leading to heavy exchanges.
A BSF jawan, third during the past one week, attained martyrdom in Pakistan shelling at RS Pura while one Pakistani Ranger was killed and another seriously injured in retaliatory firing by the BSF. Eleven civilians including five women were injured in the shelling-eight at Gopar Basti of RS Pura, two at Pansar in Hiranagar sector and one at Mankote in Poonch. Five Army jawans were injured in shelling in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district.
Sources told the Excelsior that five Army jawans were injured in mortar shelling in Sunderbani sector, bordering Pallanwalla, this morning. Army retaliated effectively. Injured Army jawans have been hospitalized.
As Pakistan activated almost entire International Border from Kathua to Akhnoor and LoC from Pallanwalla to Mendhar, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh tonight reviewed situation developing on the borders with Director General of BSF KK Sharma.
Rajnath spoke to the BSF chief on telephone and directed him to give very effective and strong reply to Pakistan’s provocations all along the borders.
The DG BSF briefed the Home Minister on the situation and retaliation by the BSF.
Amidst heavy exchange of shelling and firing, police rescued several villagers from Pansar, Manyari, Bobiya and Paharpur areas in Hiranagar sector and Regal, Chalyari and Chechwal in Samba sector and shifted them to safer places in Government accommodation, religious places and community halls.
Some of the people reached safer areas amidst shelling on their own.
“Almost entire border including 181 kilometers international boundary from Kathua to Akhnoor and 200 kilometers LoC from Akhnoor to Mendhar was tonight rattled with very heavy mortar shelling and firing from automatic weapons. Indian side is giving very effective response to Pakistan, whose Army and Rangers were finding it extremely tough to match the Indian response,” sources said.
BSF head constable Jitender Kumar son of Laxmi Singh, a resident of village Raxaul in Motihari district of Bihar attained martyrdom at Abdullian in RS Pura sector while manning a forward post. Abdullian has been worst hit by the Pakistani shelling with almost 100 per cent population of the village migrating to safer areas.
The BSF jawan, who was seriously injured in the shelling last mid-night, was immediately evacuated in bullet-proof bunker and was being shifted to the Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu when he breathed his last.
Jitender Kumar was third BSF constable to sacrifice his life for the nation in less than a week. On October 21, BSF constable Gurnam Singh of RS Pura was injured at Bobiya Post in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district and succumbed to injuries the next day. Another BSF head constable Sushil Kumar of Pihova, Kurukshetra (Haryana) was killed on October 24 in Abdullian area of RS Pura sector.
Body of the martyr will be sent to his native town in Bihar tomorrow after wreath laying ceremony with full military honours at BSF Headquarters in Paloura.
Eight civilians, three of them women, were injured when mortar shells exploded inside houses of the people at Gopar Basti, a forward village in RS Pura sector.
The civilians were trapped inside their houses in the wee hours of this morning as Pakistani Rangers directly targeted the civilian population. Police and civilians evacuated the injured from the village and shifted them to the hospital, where they were responding to the treatment.
They have been identified as Jyoti Sharma, 30, wife of Rajinder Sharma, Raj Rani, 40, wife of Bachan Lal, Lucky Sharma, 20 and Abu Sharma, 18, both sons of Subash Sharma, Uday Sharma, 10, son of Suraj Pal, Shano Devi, 55, wife of Rashpal Singh, Ravi Dutt, 44, son of Prem Dutt and Kheru Ram son of Deva Ram, all residents of Gopar Basti.
A Pakistani Ranger was killed and another seriously injured in retaliatory firing by the BSF. Pak troopers somehow managed to evacuate the grievously injured trooper in the vehicle amidst exchange of fire.
With this, eight Rangers, two terrorists and four civilians have been killed on Pakistan side and 26 Rangers and civilians were injured ever since the shelling started along the International Border, sources said. Pakistan has suffered huge destruction including nearly a dozen posts of Rangers, which have been completely destroyed. A number of Army posts of Pakistan had been damaged earlier.
Sources said right from Kathua sector on the IB to Mendhar-Balakote on the LoC, it was heavy shelling going on since 5.20 pm onwards with Pakistan activation almost entire border and LoC in Jammu region and the BSF and Army giving very effective response in their areas of operation.
In Kathua district, Pakistan started heavy shelling with 82mm mortars and firing with automatic and semi automatic weapons in almost entire Kathua and Hiranagar sector at 5.20 pm while in parts of Samba sector, the shelling started at 6.20 pm. The people in forward areas didn’t get a chance to shift to safer areas as the Rangers started targeting civil population and BSF posts directly.
A teen-age girl Sheetal Devi, 12 daughter of Kaka Singh and Reeta Devi, 35, wife of Shambu Singh were injured when mortar shells fell inside their houses at Pansar in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district.
SHO Rajbagh Inspector Ajay Jamwal and senior police officers evacuated the injured in bullet-proof vehicles amidst shelling and firing and shifted them to District Hospital, Kathua. Sheetal had sustained splinter injuries in her head while Rita Devi had minor injuries.
Along the Line of Control (LoC), Pakistan resumed shelling at Mankote, Balakote, Mendhar and Tarkundi in Poonch sector at 5.10 pm targeting civilian population and forward posts of the Army prompting the troops to retaliate effectively.
A civilian Arif Hussain Shah son of Latief Hussain Shah was injured in the shelling at Mankote in Poonch tonight. He has been hospitalized.
There had been lull on the LoC in Poonch district for the last few days excepting Nowshera sector in Rajouri, which had witnessed shelling on Tuesday in which two to three Pakistan Army jawans were killed.
Firing and shelling along the LoC has created fresh panic among the villagers, who had confined themselves to the houses or the bunkers constructed by them to survive the shelling.
Meanwhile, there was heavy shelling throughout the last night in almost entire RS Pura sector and parts of Arnia sector. Intermittent shelling and firing also continued during the day today.
Sources said majority of forward villages in RS Pura sector were without civilian population with people migrating en masse from their houses and taking shelter in forward areas including houses of their relatives and friends while few people have reported at the lodgment centres set up for them by the administration.
The Government and private schools falling within the shelling and firing range remained closed on the borders, sources said.
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