Army soldier killed in Pakistan firing along LoC in J-K’s Rajouri district

Naik Gosavi Keshav Somgir was critically injured due to fire from across the border and succumbed to gunshot wound injuries, defence spokesperson Lt Col Devender Anand said.

A 29-year-old soldier of the Indian Army was killed on Sunday when Pakistani troops fired along the Line of Control in Nowshera sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, officials said on Monday.

A 29-year-old soldier Naik Gosavi Keshav Somgir of the Indian Army was killed during a firing by Pakistani troops . (HT Photo)

“Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation in Nowshera sector on the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district at about 1445 hours (2.45pm) on Sunday,” defence spokesperson Lt Col Devender Anand said.

Naik Gosavi Keshav Somgir was injured critically and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed later, officials said.

Somgir, hailing from Sri Rampur village of Nashik district of Maharashtra, is survived by his wife, Yashoda Gosavi.

The Indian Army has retaliated strongly on Pakistan Army posts, Anand said.

A police officer said Pakistani troops attacked the Indian Army’s 24 Maratha Regiment near Raja post along the border in Nowshera sector. He said Somgir was hit by sniper fire from across the border.

There has been a spike in sniper attacks on the LoC in the past one week.

Gosavi was the second soldier killed in unprovoked Pakistani firing from across the LoC since Saturday. Rifleman Varun Katal from Samba was killed on Saturday in a sniper fire from across the LoC in the Sunderbani sector.

Pakistani troops have been violating ceasefire continuously in the past three days along the LoC in Jammu region.

The number of ceasefire violations this year by Pakistan has been the highest in the past eight years. Till July, the border region in the state saw 52 deaths and 232 people getting injured in 1,435 ceasefire violations, according to an RTI reply by the Union home ministry.