7 BSF jawans, 3 civilians injured; many houses damaged
Heavy mortar shelling soon after ceasefire announcement
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 10: JKAS officer Dr Raj Kumar Thapa, a BSF Sub Inspector and an Army Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) were martyred and four civilians, two of them hailing from Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh including a two-year-old child were killed and 10 others including seven BSF jawans were injured in heavy shelling and firing by Pakistan army and Rangers on the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) in the Jammu region overnight.
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Meanwhile, within two hours of declaration of ceasefire between India and Pakistan, the Pak troops launched heavy shelling along the LoC from Akhnoor to Nowshera in Jammu and Rajouri districts resulting into panic among the people who had just started to come out of their bunkers after announcement of agreement between two hostile nations.
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“As the people were coming out of bunkers and shelter places and reaching their houses following announcement of ceasefire between India and Pakistan, the Pakistan army started heavy shelling in parts of RS Pura, Akhnoor, Pargwal, Khour, Chhamb, Keri Bhattal, Sunderbani and Nowshera on the LoC,” the officials said.
People rushed back to the bunkers. There were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage on the Indian side. The mortars exploded in civilian areas also.
Meanwhile, Additional District Development Commissioner (ADDC) Rajouri Raj Kumar Thapa and his two staff members were seriously injured when an artillery shell hit his official residence in the Rajouri town where several mortar shells fired by the Pakistan army landed in wee hours of this morning
They were shifted to the nearby Government Medical College where Thapa, a JKAS officer, succumbed to injuries.
BSF Sub Inspector Mohammed Imteyaz attained martyrdom in Pakistan shelling and firing along the International Border (IB) in RS Pura sector.
He, along with seven others, were injured in cross-border firing initiated by Pakistan. While Imteyaz succumbed to his injuries, the other personnel were admitted to a hospital.
“We salute the supreme sacrifice made by BSF braveheart Sub Inspector Md Imteyaz in service of the nation on May 10, 2025, during cross-border firing along the International Boundary in R S Pura area, district Jammu,” the force’s Jammu frontier said in a post on X.
It added that the BSF Director General and all ranks offered their deepest condolences to his family.
A wreath-laying ceremony will be held at the BSF’s Jammu frontier headquarters in Paloura on Sunday to honour Imteyaz.
The BSF is tasked with guarding a more than 2,000-kilometre-long frontline between India and Pakistan.
Subedar Major Pawan Kumar, a resident of Himachal Pradesh, was also martyred when a Pakistani artillery shell exploded near his post in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district this morning.
Two-year-old Aisha Noor and Mohd Shohib (35) were killed and three others injured in Pakistani shelling near an industrial area in Rajouri town.
Aisha Noor and Mohd Shoaib hailed from Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh and were presently putting up at Kheora in Rajouri.
A 55-year-old woman named Rashida Bi wife of Munshi Khan also lost her life when a mortar shell hit her house at Kanghra-Galhutta village in Mendhar sector of Poonch district.
In another incident, Ashok Kumar alias Shoki, a resident of Bidipur Jatta village, was killed in cross-border firing in the R S Pura.
Three more persons were also injured in intense shelling in Poonch and were evacuated to a hospital, they said, adding a local journalist was injured in the Nowshera sector of Rajouri.
Many houses and other structures were damaged in Pak shelling at various places.
At all the places, the Indian Army and BSF replied to Pakistan shelling and firing very effectively last night.
Meanwhile, JKAS officer Raj Kumar Thapa, who lost his life in Pakistani shelling early today, was known for his unwavering professional devotion and people-friendly approach, leaving many in Jammu and Kashmir mourning.
Thapa, 54, was widely respected for his unwavering professional devotion and approachable nature, a quality that deeply resonated with the people he served.
An MBBS graduate, he joined JKAS in 2001.
Thapa lost his life when a Pakistani artillery shell struck his residential quarters in the bordering district of Rajouri. He is survived by his wife, a doctor, and their two children.
The officer was posted as the Additional District Development Commissioner, Rajouri, in March last year and played a key role in handling the situation at Badhaal village where 17 members of three families, including 13 children, died under mysterious circumstances after falling sick between December 7 and January 19.
Before his tenure in Rajouri, Thapa served as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to former Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand from 2009 to 2014, besides holding significant roles, including Mission Director of the J-K Skill Development Mission and Special Secretary in the Labour and Employment Department.
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