BSF Officer Killed, 4 Soldiers, One From Army, Injured Along LoC, Border In Jammu Districts

Shells land in residential houses in Poonch, people move to safer locations

Jammu: An Assistant Commandant of Border Security Force (BSF) was killed in a ‘sniper fire’ by Pakistan army along the Line of Control (LoC) in Samba district of Jammu on Tuesday.

Elsewhere, three BSF personnel and an army soldier were injured in separate attacks by the Pakistani army in Rajouri and Kathua district.

A police officer told GNS that Pakistan army opened sniper fire upon the BSF posts along the fence at around 10:50 a.m. resulting in serious injuries to the officer identified as Assistant Commandant, Vinay Prasad. He was immediately taken to a nearby health facility of army where from he was airlifted to military hospital Satwari, Jammu, the police officer said. “The officer succumbed to the grave injuries in the evening,” the officer added.

Meanwhile, three BSF troopers and an army soldier were injured, two of them critically, after the armies of India and Pakistan traded fire along the Line of Control (LoC) and international border in Rajouri and Kathua districts.

Official sources said that two BSF men and an army soldier posted along the LoC near Sunderbani sector of Rajouri got injured in the firing.

“One among the injured BSF men identified as Anirban Chatterji who suffered critical injuries and has been shifted to military hospital Satwari Jammu,” officials said. The army soldier identified as Akash of 6 Jat Rifles and other BSF personnel whose identity could not be immediately established have also been admitted to hospital.

In another similar incident, a BSF trooper was injured when Pakistan troops fired Indian pickets along the International Border (IB) in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district on Tuesday. The injured trooper has been taken to hospital for treatment, they said.

Meanwhile, there was a fresh exchange of fire and shells between India and Pakistani army in Mendhar Mankote and Balakote areas of Poonch and Kalal of Nowshera Rajouri. In these areas, shells landed in some residential areas, following which the local moved to safer places.

An official of the BSF confirmed all these incidents and said that “our troops guarding the fence return fire effectively and strongly”.

The officer said that in wake of growing incidents of ceasefire violation and sniper attacks, the Indian troops guarding the fence in all these areas has been put on high alert. (GNS)