Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 14: A Border Security Force (BSF) jawan went missing from forward post of Rectar 2 at Keri sector on the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district last night under mysterious circumstances even as Pakistan Army resorted to firing on the Indian posts in the same area. Army didn’t confirm the firing but reliable sources said Pakistan resorted to ceasefire violations twice during last night.
The BSF hadn’t lodged a missing report of its jawan either at Rajouri police station or Chingus Police Post under whose jurisdiction Keri sector falls till late tonight, police sources said.
The missing jawan has, however, been identified as Surjit Singh, 22, (Belt No. 1135056), posted with 76 battalion of the BSF, which has been attached to 16 Sikh Li under 120 Infantry Brigade at Keri sector of Rajouri district. The jawan hailed from village Vassali in Bulandshahar district of Uttar Pradesh.
There was no official version from the BSF either in Jammu or in Rajouri on the missing of jawan. The senior BSF officers didn’t take calls from the scribes.
Unconfirmed reports said that the BSF jawan had either deserted the post and left for his residence in Bulandshahar or had wrongly crossed over to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) from the LoC during the firing.
Army spokesman Col RK Palta denied that any ceasefire violation had taken place in Keri sector last night.
“There was no firing from Pakistan side last night on the LoC at Keri sector’’, he said, adding: “only the BSF would comment on missing of the jawan’’.
Senior police officers confirmed that the BSF jawan was missing but said the BSF hasn’t lodged any missing report with the police so far.
Reliable sources said the BSF jawan had been posted in extreme forward Rectar 2 (R-2) Post alongside a nullah in Keri sector of Rajouri district last night when Pakistan opened firing at 9 pm. The firing continued till 12 am.
“It was at this time of firing that the BSF jawan might have gone missing’’, sources said, adding that the firing was reported from the area again between 3.30 am to 4 am in violation of ceasefire agreement between the two countries.
No casualties or damage was reported on Indian side in the firing, sources said, adding that possibility of an infiltration attempt by the militants under the cover of firing was not ruled out.
In the morning, Army and BSF conducted searches in the area. Sniffer dogs were also pressed into service. There was no trace of any infiltrators having crossed into this side. However, the security personnel also failed to trace the missing BSF jawan.
Sources said the jawan had either inadvertently crossed over to PoK or was forcibly taken over to other side as he might have reached close to the LoC while thwarting the intrusion bid. Other possibilities were that he might have left for the house or injured by a wild animal as the area was also surrounded by the dense forests.
Army officials, however, maintained that there was no firing in Keri sector but they declined to comment on fate of the BSF jawan saying only the BSF authorized official would be able to speak on it.
Keri had been an infiltration route earlier but after fencing, the Army has plugged the intrusion routes though the militants had tried a number of times to sneak into this side from the same route under the cover of Pakistan firing.
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