Infant killed in firing, woman dies of shock; 9 hurt
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 21: An infant was killed and nine others including a Special Police Officer (SPO) and five women were injured as Pakistan again violated ceasefire at Khour in Akhnoor sector on the Line of Control (LoC) and Arnia on the International Border (IB) in Jammu district pounding civilian areas, BSF posts and a police station since last night while authorities shut down educational institutions within five kilometers radius of the IB. Click here to watch video
Large number of border dwellers were trapped in forward villages of Arnia and were evacuated either in the Bullet-Proof bunkers or they took their own modes of transport including tractor-trolleys to reach safer areas, where authorities have set up temporary relief camps to accommodate the migrants. Number of families on the IB were shifted to safer areas this evening when the shelling and firing from Pakistan stopped.
Meanwhile, Tarsem Lal’s sister-in-law (bhabhi), who was a widow and was living with Tarsem and his wife Manjeet Kour, died of shock last night at deceased couple’s house, at Rangpur Basti in RS Pura town. She has been identified as Kaushalaya Devi. She was cremated today. Tarsem and Manjeet were killed in Pakistan shelling at Chandu Chak in RS Pura sector on May 18.
An eight month old child Nitin son of Gopal Dass, a resident of village Seri Pallai in Jogwan village of Khour tehsil in Akhnoor sector, was killed when bullets fired by Pakistan Army hit him in premises of the house, where he was sleeping last night along with the family members.
The Pakistani firing lasted few minutes, sources said, adding that body of the infant was handed over to his family this afternoon after completion of legal formalities.
While shelling and firing stopped at Narayanpur and Baba Chamliyal villages in Ramgarh sector of Samba district last midnight, Pakistani Rangers started pounding forward posts of the BSF and civilian areas in entire Arnia sector around 9.30 am today, prompting the BSF jawans to retaliate.
Nearly 70 heavy mortar shells including 80mm and 120mm fell in Arnia town. Two mortar shells fell inside Arnia police station and hit the building as well as policy Gypsy in which SHO Arnia Inspector Deepak Pathania and other police personnel had a narrow escape while a Special Police Officer (SPO) Gurcharan Singh R/o Suhagpur, was injured. The police station building suffered damage as shells explode inside the building premises.
All villages in Arnia sector came under intense shelling and firing for more than five hours during the day in which a total of nine civilians, five of them women and a SPO, were injured. Police and civilians evacuated the injured and shifted them to hospitals including the Government Medical College, Jammu. All of them had sustained pellet injuries of mortar shells.
Sources said Pakistan was using long range weaponry to target Arnia town and other civilian areas with 82mm and 120mm mortar shells.
Amidst shelling, police used Bullet-Proof bunkers to evacuate civilians trapped in forward villages of Treva, Alla, Pindi Charkan, Kathar, Kaku De Kothe, Pindi Camp, Rangpur and Jabowal in Arnia sector while number of civilians braved shelling and firing to reach safer areas.
People even in Arnia town and all other forward villages have deserted their houses. While some of them left for the houses of their relatives and friends, others too take shelter at Government Higher Secondary School Slair and Panchayat Ghar Laswara, the two relief camps set up for the border dwellers. Authorities were in the process of opening more relief camps as number of the migrants swelled by late this evening.
Majority of villages in Arnia sector including Arnia town were vacated by the civilians in anticipation of fresh shelling from Pakistan side tonight. Not only Arnia, number of border dwellers in other parts of the International Border in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts have also left their houses for safer areas in anticipation of Pakistani firing.
Number of people in the forward villages of Arnia had narrow escape as mortar shells exploded outside their houses. Some of the shells didn’t explode and were lying live in the fields. Authorities have asked the civilians not to touch the live shells, which will be defused once the firing stops.
Sources said there was panic among the border dwellers in all three districts of Jammu, Samba and Kathua in view of fresh shelling and firing by Pakistani Rangers despite calling for ceasefire yesterday. Even in the villages of Hiranagar, Samba and RS Pura sectors, where there was no shelling or firing today, the people remained confined inside the houses and didn’t venture to come out in apprehending shelling.
The BSF has retaliated Pakistan shelling and firing very effectively at all the places, inflicting heavy damages on them. However, exact details of the damages couldn’t be ascertained immediately.
Nine persons, who were injured in Pakistan shelling and firing today in Arnia sector, have been identified as Madhu Bala, 45, wife of Krishan Avtar, Sudesh Kumar, 55, wife of Lal Chand, both residents of Ward No. 4, Arnia, Sohan Lal, 28, son of Sewa Ram R/o Arnia town, Darshana Devi, 60, wife of Tarlok Singh, Mohinder Lal, 40, son of Hans Raj, both residents of Pindi Charkan, Suman Devi, wife of Mangal Dass R/o Devigarh, Gurcharan Singh, SPO posted at Arnia police station R/o Suhagpur, Kamlesh Kumari wife of Daleep Kumar R/o Devigarh and Anil Kumar, 30, son of Chaman Lal R/o Arnia town.
Meanwhile, at about 8 p.m. Pakistani Rangers resorted to shelling and firing in Ramgarh sector of Samba district. The shelling targeted civilian areas. The BSF retaliated. Shelling stopped around 11 p.m. No losses were reported on the Indian side.
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