Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 21: India and Pakistan troops today exchanged heavy mortar shelling and firing at various places along the International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC) in which seven Pakistani Rangers and a terrorist were killed while a BSF jawan was seriously wounded even as troops foiled an infiltration attempt by three militants in Sabjian sector of Poonch district. A minor girl was injured in Pakistan shelling at Panjgrain in Manjakote area of Rajouri district and an Army jawan was injured and thwarting infiltration attempt at Sabjian.
After September 29 surgical strikes by the Indian Army inside Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), this was for the first time when the Rangers covered all three districts of IB including Kathua, Samba and Jammu with intense shelling and firing during the day today. Late tonight, Pakistan also started shelling and firing in RS Pura sector.
Official sources said that Pakistan army fired 82mm mortars and resorted to targeted firing on BSF posts at Bobiya in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district, surrounding posts of Samba and Nikowal in Pargwal sector of Akhnoor in Jammu district. Along the LoC, shelling and firing was reported from Manjakote and Tarkundi in Rajouri and Poonch districts respectively.
An official handout issued by BSF’s New Delhi Public Relations Officer (PRO), Shubhendu Bhardwaj said the BSF gave a befitting reply to sniper attack of Pakistani Rangers and launched an aggressive offensive at Bobiya area in Hiranagar sector killing seven Pakistani Rangers and one militant.
“After BSF foiled audacious infiltration attempt at Bobiya Post on the intervening night of October 19 and 20, the Rangers targeted the BSF domination along International Border injuring BSF constable Gurnam Singh. The BSF retaliated killing seven Pakistani Rangers and one militant,” he said.
DIG BSF Jammu, Dharmendra Pareekh also confirmed to the Excelsior that seven Pakistani Rangers and one militant were killed across Bobiya area of Hiranagar sector in Kathua district this afternoon in retaliatory shelling and firing by the BSF after a BSF jawan Gurnam Singh, a resident of Bhalesar Magowali, RS Pura was seriously injured in targeted firing.
Initially, five Rangers were killed and three others were injured but subsequent reports confirmed that total of seven Rangers and one militant were killed.
“There is confirmed information of killing of seven Pakistani Rangers and one militant. Though one brave soldier of BSF suffered serious injury, yet morale of troops is very high to counter and defeat any type of activities/aggression from Pakistan side,” an official statement issued by the BSF said.
The injured BSF jawan, Gurnam Singh has been admitted in the Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu in serious condition as he had sustained bullet wound on his head.
Shubhendu Bhardwaj said the firing from Pakistan was effectively retaliated by the BSF and that has claimed the casualties of Pakistani forces. He added that the BSF is on high alert all along the International Boundary and ready to foil any infiltration attempt.
Late tonight, the Rangers started shelling and firing at Abdullian, Korotana Khurd and Tubewell No.5 in R S Pura sector, which was going on when the reports last came in. However, no casualties or damage was reported so far.
Immediately after the killing of Rangers, the BSF jawans started evacuation of people living in forward areas of Bobiya in Hiranagar sector in bullet-proof vehicles anticipating that Pakistan might target innocent civilians to take revenge of their killings.
Deputy Commissioner, Kathua Ramesh Kumar and SSP Kathua Pawan Parihar reached the forward village and joined the evacuation operation.
By late this evening, 232 people had migrated from Bobiya and Chhan Tanda. They were accommodated in Government Higher Secondary school, Hiranagar while 145 people of Londi and Rajgrain Brahamana were lodged in Government Middle School, Chhan Khatrian. Some families had left for the houses of their relatives.
A number of people were evacuated while other migrated in their own, sources said.
The administration has once again put the Contingency Plan in place for the border migrants as shelling and firing also extended to Samba and Jammu. The evacuation process continued till late tonight.
Sources said the civilians were evacuated as pre-emptive measure by the BSF with the help of civil administration and police as there were apprehensions that Pakistan could target the innocent civilians after suffering heavy losses in BSF’s retaliatory fire.
The shelling and firing from Pakistan also took place in adjoining areas of Bobiya in Samba sector and Nikowal in Pargwal sector of Akhnoor tehsil in Jammu district during the afternoon. However, there were no casualties or damage of BSF and civilians on the Indian side along the IB except the one injury at Bobiya, Hiranagar.
Sources said Bobiya was the same spot where the BSF had on the intervening night of October 19 and 20 thwarted major infiltration attempt by six Pakistani militants killing one of them and injuring couple of others and forcing all of them to retreat.
The BSF statement said morale of the BSF jawans was very high on the borders and they were ready to meet with any kind of situation.
“This is for the first time that seven Pakistani Rangers have been killed on a single day and three others injured in BSF’s aggressive retaliatory action after September 29 surgical strikes by the Indian Army in PoK in which about 50 militants and nine Pakistan army personnel were killed,” sources said.
Meanwhile, there was no let up in mortar shelling and firing on the LoC in Manjakote and Tarkundi sectors of Rajouri and Poonch districts, which continued even during the day today. Shelling started at 12.40 pm in several forward areas of Manjakote in Rajouri and Tarkundi in Poonch district.
A 10-year old girl Rozy Riaz daughter of Mohammad Riaz, a resident of Panjgrain, Manjakote was injured in the shelling. He has been hospitalized.
Several structures in Panjgrain, Khori Nar and Rajdhani also suffered damage in the mortar shelling, which stopped at 4 pm but small arms firing continued intermittently.
At about 9 pm tonight, Pakistan resumed heavy shelling at both Tarkundi and Manjakote. Deafening sound of mortar shell explosions were heard in the towns.
With this, the number of ceasefire violations along the IB and the LoC in the State after surgical strikes by the Indian Army in PoK has risen to 31.
Indian and Pakistani forces are exchanging firing for past four days in the sector. Pakistani troops have violated ceasefire five times in past four days.
Pakistani troops had yesterday heavily shelled areas in Bhimber Gali sector along the LoC in Rajouri district.
Meanwhile, an infiltration bid was foiled by the alert and vigilant troops of Army in the densely forest area along LoC in Sabjian sector of Poonch this morning.
Sources said that on noticing some suspicious activity, the alert troops challenged a group of 2-3 infiltrators who were attempting to cross the LoC.
“On being challenged, the group immediately opened fire (on the Army) which was responded in equal measure by the alert troops forcing the group to flee back”, they said.
An Army jawan Vinod Kumar sustained minor injuries in thwarting infiltration attempt in Sabjian sector, sources said.
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