Five people suffered injuries and four cattle died as Pakistan Rangers rained mortars on 20 Indian villages and over a dozen BSF posts along the 198 km long International Border in Arnia sub sector of Jammu district on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.
India retaliated in equal measure and the heavy exchanges between the two sides ended around 10 am on Thursday.
Border guards of Pakistan started unprovoked firing and shelling targeting Indian posts, around midnight on Wednesday, a day after killing an Indian soldier along the LoC in Kupwara sector, said a senior BSF officer. It was eleventh ceasefire violation in a week in the state.
As a precautionary measure, the state government has shut all schools within the five-km radius of the international border.
“Arnia town, Pindi Charakan Kalan, Katha, Trewa, Jabowal and Jora Farm bore the maximum brunt of Pakistan shelling. Over 20 villages were affected,” said Tehsildar of Arnia Gupreet Singh.
Three among the five injured have been identified as Pummy Devi (35) and her husband Kishori Lal (40) of Pindi Kathar village and Gurdev Singh (20) of Kol Khurd.
The sector witnessed intense shelling and heavy fire from Pakistani side on the 198km-long international border since last Thursday, which left a constable of Indian border guards, Brijendra Bahadur Singh, and an old woman Ratna Devi of Arnia dead and six others injured.
{{/usCountry}}The sector witnessed intense shelling and heavy fire from Pakistani side on the 198km-long international border since last Thursday, which left a constable of Indian border guards, Brijendra Bahadur Singh, and an old woman Ratna Devi of Arnia dead and six others injured.
{{/usCountry}}The Pakistani forces once again resorted to firing from around Wednesday midnight after their guns had fallen silent for some time since Tuesday last, a BSF officer said. The BSF retaliated effectively, he added.