Pak activates 3 Sectors: BSF jawan, girl dead; 6 injured; many houses damaged

Retaliate with full force: BSF DG to Comdrs

Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Jan 18: Pakistan activated vast stretch of International Border in 3 Sectors of RS Pura, Arnia and Ramgarh overnight in which a BSF jawan and a young girl  were martyred and five civilians injured while a number of houses and structures were damaged and cattle perished. The BSF retaliated effectively and there were official reports of two killings and heavy infrastructure losses on Pakistan side though unconfirmed reports said five Pakistanis including Rangers were dead.
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Director General of Border Security Force KK Sharma rushed here from New Delhi and described situation as tense on the borders but declared that Pakistan has been given befitting reply by inflicting heavy damages on them.
As tension flared up along the borders, authorities ordered closure of educational institutions falling within firing and shelling range in the three Sectors even as panic-stricken border dwellers generally confined themselves to their houses anticipating fresh firing from Pakistani Rangers, who were frustrated after suffering heavy damages from the BSF.
During his visit to Jammu, the DG BSF said: “the place where they (Pakistani Rangers) engaged us has a stream nearby. There could have been a possibility of infiltration but our troops made sure that no such incident takes place. We retaliated effectively which led to damage on that (Pakistan) side. BSF never starts it (the firing) but when they do, we make sure we take strong action’’.
He declared that martyrdom of Head Constable A Suresh will not go in vain.
Eight police personnel had very narrow escape after their post at Kamore in Ramgarh sector of Samba district came under heavy shelling this morning. While the post was damaged, all police personnel were safely rescued in the bunkers, SSP Samba Anil Magotra said. He added that three women were also rescued from a house at Kamore, which was heavily shelled by the Rangers till 10.30 am today.
Authorities this evening identified four camps for the border dwellers if they chose to migrate to safer areas. The Government Higher Secondary Schools for Girls and Boys in RS Pura and Government HSS Slair on RS Pura-Arnia border, apart from Community Hall in Ramgarh have been earmarked for the migrants besides some religious places. However, till tonight, there had been no major report of migration from the forward villages though some of the people left for the houses of their relatives and friends.
Reports said that a girl Neelam Devi daughter of Sat Pal R/o Dayala Chak, Kathua was going to fields in the early hours of this morning at village Pindi Charkan in Arnia sector, where she had come to the house of her maternal uncle. She was hit by splinters of mortar shells, which exploded close to her. She was shifted to hospital but was declared as dead.
As reported, Head Constable A Suresh of 78 battalion sustained gun shots while manning a forward post in RS Pura sector along with another constable Dubraj Murmur. A Suresh succumbed to his injuries last night while Murmur was responding to treatment in the hospital. Martyr A Suresh hailed from Tamil Nadu.
Three civilians were injured as their houses were hit by mortar shells in Ward No. 13 of Arnia sector. They have been identified as Darshan Lal son of Bue Ram, Romesh Lal son of Mager Ram and Chanchala Devi wife of Romesh Lal. Police parties led by SHO Arnia Sunil Arya shifted the injured civilians to hospital.
Two civilians were injured in Pakistan shelling at Kamore, Ramgarh including Suresh Kumar, 50, son of Bholu Ram and his son Punit Choudhary. They too were evacuated from the firing site and admitted to hospital.
Sources said the BSF hit back at Rangers very effectively inflicting casualties and damages on their side. While Pakistan has admitted two killings on their side, unconfirmed reports put number of deaths of Pakistani Rangers and others at five.
A number of forward posts and bunkers of Pakistan have also been damaged, they added.
Sources said nearly 30 villages came under intense shelling and firing from Pakistani Rangers in entire RS Pura, Arnia and Ramgarh sectors in which large number of houses, other structures like cowsheds and vehicles parked in premises of the houses were extensively damaged. Number of cattle were also killed and injured in Pakistani shelling at all three Sectors, where firing and shelling started around 10.30 pm last night and continued till this morning. While firing stopped between 5 am to 8 am in RS Pura and Arnia, falling in Jammu district, it continued till 11 am in Ramgarh sector of Samba district.
Sources said exact losses of property, cattle and vehicles would be known only after authorities conduct survey of the areas when normalcy is restored.
In the morning, authorities ordered closure of educational institutions in shelling hit areas, which fall within the firing range.
Though there was no firing or shelling in any area of the International Border after 11 am, people generally confined themselves indoors as several mortar shells had landed overnight in the fields, villages and houses, some of which were lying unexploded. Sources said the unexploded shells will be defused shortly.
“The panic-stricken people were anticipating fresh shelling and firing from Pakistani Rangers, who directly targeted civilian areas on our side in three Sectors of RS Pura, Arnia and Samba,’’ sources said.
Number of people to whom the Excelsior spoke wanted Pakistan to be taught strict lesson “once and for all’’ instead of intermittent actions. They were of the view that their lives have become miserable on the borders as their houses and other structures frequently got damaged, cattle are killed and even crops are damaged. “Even we can’t cultivate the crops a number of times for the fear of Pakistan shelling and firing,’’ they said.
The villagers demanded full compensation for the damages suffered by them.
Meanwhile, body of martyr BSF jawan was today sent to his native town of Bandra Chetti Patty, Harur in Dharampuri district of Tamil Nadu with full military honours, and will be cremated tomorrow.
Top BSF officers including DG BSF KK Sharma, IG BSF Ram Awatar and IGP Jammu Zone SD Singh paid tributes to the martyr at BSF Headquarters during the wreath laying ceremony.
Speaking to reporters after wreath laying ceremony of the martyr. BSF chief K K Sharma today asked Field Commanders along the Indo-Pak border to “retaliate with full force” any enemy fire, saying the Pakistani forces must be taught a lesson.
He also said the situation along the border with Pakistan is “tense”.
“I have told them (field commanders along the international border) to retaliate with full force and teach them (Pakistani forces) a lesson. The morale of the troops is high,” Sharma said.
He was replying to a question about his message to the commanders on the ground in the wake of killing of a jawan in firing by Pakistani forces today.
The chief of border guarding force said that the BSF has damaged two Pakistani mortar positions.
“We targeted two Pakistani mortar positions. We feel that they have been damaged,” he said.
Asked about the situation along the border, the Director General of the Border Security Force said, “I feel the situation is tense.”
There have been continuous ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) and now Pakistan has resorted to ceasefire violations along the International Border (IB), he said.
Sharma said the BSF has observed movement of militants across the IB from time to time and sometimes it has engaged them but they managed to escape.
Replying to questions, he said, “We have already taken special measures. We have taken measures to check infiltration and ceasefire violations. We are ready to meet any such eventuality.”
Asked about the reason for increase in incidents of ceasefire violation, he said, “It is for Pakistan to answer as to why they are repeatedly resorting to ceasefire violation. We don’t initiate it. We are a peace-loving force.”
On whether it was being done by Pakistan to push in militants to engineer a terror attack in the run up to the Republic Day, Sharma said, “This can be such an attempt as they have engaged us (in that area) and our jawan lost his life.
“There is a nullah close to the area and an attempt of infiltration could have taken place from there but our troops are alert. We will ensure no infiltration takes place.”
Giving details about the today’s incident, he said, “There was unprovoked firing from the Pakistani side in which Head Constable A Suresh was killed. We immediately carried out retaliation.”
The BSF chief said the force targeted Pakistan’s border outposts (BoPs).
According to reports, there has been “large” loss of lives and damage to property, he said, adding, “I will not be able to give you details and you can get details from Pakistan media, if you monitor it.”
He said that such incidents have not happened for the first time and on January 3, one jawan was killed.
At that time, the BSF gave a befitting reply and caused damage to lives and property on the Pakistani side, he said.
“The BSF does not initiate firing and shelling but when it is started from their side, we give a befitting reply. We are giving befitting reply following the killing of A Suresh,” he said.
On increase in sniping incidents, he said, “This was not a sniping incident. He was firing from a light machine gun and he was hit by a bullet through a (bunker) loophole, which is used to direct the fire.”
He said the jawans wear bullet-proof jackets and helmets but some parts of body still remains uncovered. “It is an occupational hazard when such a situation prevails,” he said.

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