Weddings disrupted in villages along IB
Bivek Mathur
ARNIA, Oct 27: “Shaami Wapis Aa Jai’n, Border De Pindaan Ch Goliya’n Chale Kardiyaan Je (return by evening, border villages have been witnessing heavy firing from the Pakistan side),” said a septuagenarian in Dablehar area when this journalist asked him about the address of the Kashipur locality in Arnia Town. This village, along with other border villages in Jammu, endured heavy bombardment by the Pakistani Rangers on the nights of October 26 and 27, 2023.
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A woman, Rajni Bala, 38, wife of Balbir Singh of Kashipur, Ward Number 5, Arnia, and a BSF jawan, Vasaba Raj (35), son of Suresh from Karnataka, who is currently stationed at Bikram Post in Arnia, sustained injuries in their forearms and hands during the unprovoked cross-border firing and shelling.
This ordeal began around 8 pm on October 26 and persisted until 4 am on October 27. Following initial treatment at a local healthcare facility, both victims were admitted to the Government Medical College in Jammu, where they are currently undergoing treatment.
While a BSF constable, Sher Singh, posted at Border out Post (BoP) Jabowal, also sustained minor splinter injuries in his foot, this incident was not reported to the Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in Arnia.
Similar incidents of cross-border firing were reported in other border villages of Jammu, including Treva, Buley Chak, Suchetgarh, and Jabowal in both Arnia and RS Pura sectors as Pakistani rangers fired 82mm and 120mm mortar shells, in addition to using heavy machine guns, creating a state of panic among the local population. The BSF responded appropriately to the unprovoked firing from the Pakistani side.
According to Rajni Bala’s in-laws, she was feeding her daughter around 9:20 pm on Thursday when a shell exploded in their veranda, striking her in the forearm. After initial treatment, she was transported to the Government Medical College in Jammu by the Sub-Divisional Administration on Friday.
Describing the recent horrors inflicted by the Pakistani Rangers after about 2.8 years of a ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan in February 2021, Rajni Bala’s father-in-law, Tarsem Lal (62), son of Thoru Ram, mentioned that he was awakened by a loud explosion outside.
This sound resulted from a shell hitting the power transformer on a public lane adjacent to their home, causing a power outage in the area. Tarsem illuminated his torch to check the safety of the animals in his shed, which were thankfully unharmed.
During a brief lull in the firing, Tarsem checked on the safety of his family and instructed them to lie down on the ground to ensure their safety. He did the same to protect his life. Amidst this chaos, one of his cows was injured by a splinter. The animal received medical attention from a team of veterinary experts the following day. The splinters from the exploded shell in his veranda also punctured a tire on his tractor.
After hearing another significant explosion, Tarsem said he ventured onto the veranda, only to discover that a shell had hit his daughter-in-law in the forearm. Another shell created a substantial crater in his paddy field, resulting in a panic in his family members and a significant loss to the standing paddy crop.
Tarsem, who owns around 10 acres of agricultural land, feared, “if the firing persisted, the farmers in Arnia would struggle to find non-local laborers to harvest the standing paddy crop. This situation would push us towards an economic crisis besides a continuous fear of receiving injuries and losing lives in the conflict.”
Ravi Kumar, another villager, expressed concerns that even landowners would be reluctant to harvest their crops if the firing continued.
Kumar said that most people in Arnia are also worried about their safety in the night period as the community bunkers are also in a very bad condition.
Ramesh Saini, the Town Area Committee (TAC) chairman of Arnia, noted that nearly all 8-10 community bunkers in Arnia were submerged in water and overgrown with wild vegetation, and although these issues were addressed, they still lacked basic facilities such as toilets, washrooms, and lighting.
Saini voiced dissatisfaction with the Government for failing to provide temporary accommodation to the affected villagers. As a result, most of them have been staying with relatives in nearby towns and cities.
“Many of the affected individuals in Arnia’s Wards numbers 5, 12, and select areas of Wards numbers 11, 13, 2, and 3 had locked their doors since early morning and sought refuge with their relatives,” said Saini.
He expressed his dismay at the administration’s inaction regarding this serious human tragedy. He highlighted the practice of holding meetings with villagers to discuss safety plans before the ceasefire agreement in 2021 but noted that this had not been happening recently, leaving the local residents disturbed.
However, Atul Dutt Sharma, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Jammu South, refuted all the allegations made by villagers and elected representatives.
He explained that his team had swiftly responded to the reports of firing and rushed to the village to provide assistance.
“All the bunkers in the town have been cleaned and armoured vehicles and ambulances stationed in the village to facilitate evacuations. The accommodation related needs of the affected residents are also being adequately taken care of,” he said.
Meanwhile, as reported by the news agency PTI, unprovoked firing by Pakistan Rangers has marred dozens of weddings in villages along the International Border in Jammu with many forced to make last-minute changes to some rituals as well.
In the case of Ishant Saini and Sangeeta’s wedding, a majority of the guests left the feast amid heavy shelling by Pakistan in the R S Pura sector.
Ishant Saini’s brother Deepak told the news agency, “we are feeling sorry for the guests who left in panic without enjoying the feast after being informed about Pakistani shelling in our village.”
He said that they had to make last-minute changes to some of the marriage rituals as well.
“As per our tradition, the ‘phere’ was supposed to be performed at the bride’s house. But since it is located near the zero line, we decided to perform this important ritual at this venue as well,” Deepak told the news agency at the marriage hall. Weddings were disrupted in other villages as well.
Pertinently, on October 17, two BSF personnel were injured when Pakistani rangers opened fire on their post in Arnia but the exchange of fire between the two sides was brief and restricted to small-arms firing only. The BSF subsequently lodged a strong protest with Pakistan in the larger interest of peace along the borders.
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