*Pak army takes over Rangers at many posts
* Watch video on www.excelsiornews.com
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 25: Nine civilians including seven members of a family were injured as Pakistan continued to rain mortars in civilian areas of RS Pura sector during the day today amidst reports that Pakistan has replaced Rangers with army and strengthened their forward posts along 181 kilometers long International Border (IB) in Jammu sector. Among nine injured, eight were women.
Pakistan today also extended shelling to the Line of Control (LoC) targeting five areas in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district. However, there were no casualties or damage on the LoC on Indian side but 2-3 Pakistan army jawans were killed in retaliatory firing by the troops.
IG BSF DK Upadhyaya told the Excelsior that heavy mortars fired from Pakistan side on the intervening night of October 23 and 24 are generally fired by their regulars, an indication that Pakistan army might be targeting Indian civil population after replacing Rangers in their forward posts.
“Such weapons are generally used by Pakistan army regulars,’’ he pointed out.
Asserting that Pakistan has strengthened its positions on the borders, Upadhyaya said the BSF was fully capable to “defeat their designs’’ and added that “very adequate and appropriate’’ response is being given to the firing along the IB.
He said the BSF didn’t fire the first shot today and it the Pakistani side, which started firing heavy 82mm mortars and used automatic weapons in firing to target BSF posts and civilian areas.
“We then responded very effectively,’’ the BSF Jammu chief said.
DIG BSF Jammu Dharmendra Pareekh, in a post, said five-to six posts of the Rangers have been severely damaged after being hit by the BSF jawans in forward areas of the IB in very effective retaliation given by the BSF to Pakistan.
“As per inputs and live observations, minimum 5-6 Pak Rangers Posts have been severely hit and heavily damaged from calibrated and effective retaliation of the BSF,’’ Pareekh wrote.
The mortar shells landed inside houses of the people at Suchetgarh, Abdullian, Korotana, Chandu Chak and Vidhipur Jattan, all in RS Pura sector. Nine civilians including seven members of a family were injured at Suchetgarh in the shelling while several houses, cattle shed and other structures were extensively damaged in Pakistan shelling at RS Pura.
Reports said that four Rangers were injured when their Tahir Post was destroyed opposite Abdullian in RS Pura sector in retaliatory firing by the BSF, which was not targeting their civilian locations and confining Pakistan forward posts as their target only.
The News Nation newspaper, Pakistan reported that four civilians were killed on Pakistan side of the International Border in BSF’s retaliatory firing. It also reported to huge destruction on Pakistan side.
Meanwhile, at least 2-3 Pakistani army men were believed to have been killed today in retaliatory firing by Indian troops in the Nowshera sector of Rajouri district.
Heavy exchange of fire, involving use of 82 mm and 120 mm mortar shells besides small arms, was still going on in the evening after it started at around 10 am at Baba Khori, Kallal, Khanyali, Sher Makri, Kalsian and surrounding villages of Nowshera sector in Rajouri district.
“From 10 am, Pakistan army resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation along the LoC in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district by targeting our positions with mortar bombs and small arms fire,” reports said.
The Indian Army gave a “befitting response” to the ceasefire violation from the Pakistani side.
“We have inputs that two to three Pakistani soldiers have been killed in the retaliatory firing by our men,” sources said.
“The firing is still going on and our side is giving a befitting reply,” he said, adding there is no loss of life or injury on our side.
However, no civilian casualties were reported on either side in Nowshera sector as population on LoC on both sides is some distance away. But the fresh shelling created panic among the people.
Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Harbans Lal Sharma along with other civil and police officers were monitoring the situation and have kept Government accommodation ready for any kind of migration. However, the people were staying put in their houses in all shelling hit villages of Nowshera though they remained indoors throughout the day.
During previous round of shelling and firing in Nowshera sector about a fortnight back, large number of people had shifted to Nowshera town from forward villages.
Of nine civilians injured in Suchetgarh and Chandu Chak areas of RS Pura tehsil, eight were females including a couple of teen-age and young girls. Of them, seven were referred to the Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu while two others were admitted in the Sub District Hospital at RS Pura.
They have been identified as Soma Devi wife of Raj Kumar,Kamlesh Devi wife of Subash Choudhary, Sanjana Choudhary wife of Subash Choudhary, Veena Kumari wife of Pawan Kumar, Manju Choudhary daughter of Raj Kumar, Vishali Devi daughter of Pawan Kumar, and Ratno Devi wife of Bahadur Lal, all members of a family, who were injured inside their house at Suchetgarh, Ramesh Lal son of Tara Chand of Suchetgarh and Baljeet Kour wife of Gurjeet Singh R/o Chandu Chak.
SHO RS Pura Inspector Bushan Manhas rushed to Suchetgarh along with police teams and joined the rescue operation.
However, despite several people getting injured during past two days in RS Pura sector and Kanachak, where a boy was killed, the people were staying in their houses and have refused to get evacuated or shifted.
Very few people from Abdullian turned up at ITI College in RS Pura today. However, the administration has made arrangements of Government accommodation at various places to house border dwellers, if they migrate.
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