Targeting civilians’ serious issue of concern: Army
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 18: In a gruesome act, Pakistan army today directly targeted civilian population at village Davitta in Dhar Galoon area of Balakote sector in Poonch district killing five members of family including a couple and their three children and injuring two others. Five Army jawans were also injured in the shelling and firing.
Though Pakistani troops have been violating ceasefire on the LoC in twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch regularly for past over 10 months, this was a rare incident when they fired long range 120mm mortars to target the civilian houses as some of the shells fell about three to four kilometers in general area from the LoC, leading to civilian casualties, official sources told the Excelsior.
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They said the Indian side retaliated very effectively to silence the Pakistani guns.
It was at about 7.45 am when 32 years old Malik Bi wife of Mohammad Ramzan was serving breakfast to her seven-member family in her semi-kucha house at village Davitta in Dhar Galoon area of Balakote sector when Pakistan army started raining heavy mortar shells including 120mm, 82mm and 81mm, targeting the civilian population.
Nearly a dozen mortar shells fell inside the village while two of them exploded in the premises of the house of 35-year old Mohammad Ramzan, who was a small farmer in the village. All seven family members were seriously injured in the shell explosion, five of whom succumbed to their injuries within no time as splinters of 120mm mortar had pierced through their bodies.
Top officers of civil and police administration besides large number of local people rushed to the village Davitta immediately after getting report of the casualties despite continued heavy shelling by the Pakistani troops. They evacuated the victims to local hospital, where five of them were declared as dead while two injured sisters were referred to the District Hospital, Rajouri. Later, the injured were airlifted here and admitted in the Government Medical College, Jammu.
The shelling continued till 11.30 am, sources said, adding that the Indian side gave effective reply to ceasefire violation by Pakistan.
“The house of Mohammad Ramzan had become a pool of blood as all seven members of his family had been hit by the splinters. The breakfast served by Ramzan’s wife Malika Bi was also splattered inside the house as the family was yet to take it collectively when the shells landed inside their house, which was also damaged,’’ the eye witnesses said.
Five of the family members killed in the shelling included Mohammad Ramzan, 35, his 32 year old wife Malika Bi and three sons Abdul Rehman, 14, Mohammad Rizwan, 12 and Razaq Ramzan, 7. Two daughters of Ramzan, who were seriously injured, have been identified as Nazreen Kouser, 11 and Mahreen Kouser, 5.
With five members of the family dead and two injured lying in the Government Medical College Jammu, it was the turn of relatives and local villagers to perform last rites of five family members. All five were buried together in the local graveyard of the village this afternoon with relatives and villagers joining together to perform the rituals of burial.
Unconfirmed reports said that five Army jawans were also injured in Pakistan shelling but there was no official confirmation. The injured have been identified as Subedar Deshbandhu, Lance Naik Gaurav Vishnak, Rifleman Budha Rai, Naik Jitender Verma and Rahul Pandey. All of them have been hospitalized and their condition was stated to be stable.
An official statement issued by the Army said: “it is a serious issue of concern as Pakistan targeted innocent civilians in localities much deep inside Indian territory, almost 3 – 4 kilometers from the LoC, where there is no Army deployment or any related installation and even no Army equipment.’’
This, according to sources, showed that Pakistani troops intentionally targeted the civilian population as they were unable to inflict casualties or losses on the Indian troops.
“Pakistan continues its cowardly design of targeting innocent civilians, their homes and livestock in villages close to the Line of Control. Indian Army has retaliated strongly, effectively and proportionately to the dastardly act,’’ the Army statement said, adding the crew of the helicopter belonging to 132 FAC flight, Flight Lieutenant Mittal and Flying Officer Akash quickly swung into action and landed at Rajouri at 12 noon. They were airborne with the injured sisters within the next two minutes. They landed at Jammu at 12.39 pm, where from the injured were shifted to the Civil hospital.
Sources said some mortar shells also landed close to nearly dozen houses at village Davitta in Balakote sector but the people had narrow escape.
Deputy Commissioner, Poonch, Tariq Ahmad Zargar, who visited Balakote sector along with SSP Rajiv Pandey, appealed to the people of vulnerable areas to shift their families to safer areas, which have been identified by the district administration. He told the villagers that construction of 40 community bunkers were at finishing stage and very soon the process of individual bunkers in targeted areas, will also be taken up for safety of civilians.
Zargar handed over Rs one lakh as immediate financial relief in favour of two injured family members of Mohammad Ramzan and said their cases for financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh and job under SRO 43 would be processed soon.
“Anguished to hear of 5 (five) people losing their lives in the crossfire along the LoC in Balakote sector of Poonch. My deepest condolences to their family,” Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said in a tweet. Mehbooba, DyCM Dr Nirmal Singh and Relief & Rehabilitation Minister Javed Mustafa Mir are visiting the site of killing and the LoC tomorrow.
“Peace is the only way forward. Initiatives were started by (former Prime Minister A B) Vajpayee Ji with his Lahore bus journey & were later carried on in the same spirit by PM @narendramodi (Prime Minister Narendra Modi). Sadly they were sabotaged at Pathankot. We need to get on the right track if we want to save the people of J&K,” she said in another tweet, referring to the scene of the 2016 terror attack on an Air Force Station in Punjab.
Describing the incident as “heart wrenching’’, which has caused wave of shock among people of the State, Mehbooba prayed for peace to the departed souls and wished speedy recovery of two injured members of the family.
Mehbooba reiterated that dialogue and reconciliation are the only means to get the State and the region out of this vicious cycle of blood spilling for which she appealed to all sections of society and Governments to support.
National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah and working president Omar Abdullah also expressed shock and condolences over the killings.
“My deepest condolences to their family. Shocked over killing of five civilians of a single family in Poonch due to cross-LoC shelling,’’ Dr Abdullah said.
Omar Abdullah tweeted: “very sad. Allah Jannat Naseeb Karey’’.
Meanwhile, Health and Medical Education Minister Bali Bhagat and Works Minister Naeem Akhter visited the Government Medical College, Jammu and inquired condition of two survivors of Pakistan shelling and civilians injured in Hiranagar accident. They directed the doctors to provide best possible treatment to the injured.
National Conference MLA from Mendhar, Javed Rana criticized both India and Pakistan for “grave atrocities’’ against civilians along LoC. He expressed grief and shock over the killings.
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