Eleven BSF troops have been killed in cross-border firing incidents along the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir till date in 2018, the highest casualty figure for the border force in a year during the last five years, a latest data revealed.
As per the data, over 320 unprovoked firing incidents have taken place this year till date, leading to the killing of 11 BSF personnel and injuring 37 others.
In comparison to this, a total of 111 unprovoked cross-border firing instances took place last year along this front (Jammu IB) while the figures were 204 incidents (in 2016), 350 (in 2015) and 127 during 2014.
Two BSF personnel were killed and seven injured due to sniping and mortar shelling last year while three BSF personnel were killed and 10 injured in such incidents in 2016.
Similarly, a BSF jawan was killed and five were injured in 2015 and two of its men were killed while 14 were injured in 2014.
Today, Assistant Commandant Jitendra Singh (34), Sub-inspector Rajneesh Kumar (32), Constable Hansraj Gurjar (28) and Assistant SI Ram Niwas (52) were killed when unprovoked firing, using both precision weapons and mortars, was launched from the Asraf post of the Pakistan Rangers.
The latest casualties take the overall number of those killed in ceasefire violation by Pakistan along the IB and the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir this year to 50, including 24 security personnel.
The BSF had launched three special assault operations — Rustam (2016), Arjun (2017) and Bheem (2018)– as part of the Government mandated ‘befitting reply’ policy for retaliation of the such firing incidents.
The latest spell of the cross-border firing began when Pakistan Rangers and their other units started shelling areas along the IB from May 15.
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