Minor boy, BSF jawan killed as Pak intensifies border shelling

Intensifying cross-border shelling and firing, Pakistani troops killed a six-year-old boy and a BSF jawan and injured 9 others as they pounded civilian areas and paramilitary posts in several sub sectors along International Border in Jammu district throughout the night.

The Pakistani soldiers, while violating the ceasefire, used small and automatic weapons and resorted to mortar bomb shelling to target over 25 border out posts (BoPs) and civilian areas in R S Pura, Arnia, Suchetgarh, Kanachak, Pargwal sub sectors of Jammu district since last night and it is still on, a BSF officer said in the afternoon.

A boy Vicky Kumar was killed as Pakistani forces resorted to unprovoked firing in a "complete bizarre manner" on civilian areas at Laliyal village in R S Pura, official sources said.

Vicky Kumar, belonging to a labourer family from Bihar, died due to splinter injuries from a mortar shell explosion in Lalyal-Garkhal belt of the International Border. He had spent the night in a bunker and as soon as he came out to play, the splinter hit him, officials said.

BSF constable Sushil Kumar of Kurukshetra in Haryana was also martyred and another was injured in the Pakistani firing and shelling, the BSF officer said. Sushil Kumar was hit with a splinter in his neck at a post in R S Pura and was shifted to GMC hospital, where doctors declared him dead, the senior BSF officer said.Nine others were injured in the overnight firing of whom condition of a woman was stated to be critical.

BSF was giving a befitting reply, the officer said. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who is on a visit to Bahrain, said he spoke to BSF DG K K Sharma who apprised him of the situation in border areas of Jammu region. "The BSF is capable of giving befitting reply," he tweeted.

"I salute the bravery and sacrifice of BSF jawan Sushil Kumar who was martyred in RS Pura sector of Jammu region last night," Singh added. Jammu Deputy Commissioner Simrandeep Singh said 30 cattle had also perished and 130 others were injured in the Pakistani firing and shelling in various border hamlets in the district.

Police and Civil authorities are assessing losses to property in various villages along the IB in Jammu district on account of Pakistani shelling, the Deputy Commissioner added. A huge damage has been caused to the houses and other properties in the border hamlets, an official said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Army today claimed that two people, including a minor girl, were killed in "unprovoked firing" by Indian troops. Pakistan Army, in a statement, alleged that the Indian soldiers resorted to firing and shelling in Harpal, Pukhlian and Charwah sectors on the working boundary.

Due to India's "unprovoked firing" at the working boundary last night a civilian of village Janglora and a one and a half-years old girl were killed while seven civilians were injured, it said.

There have been over 40 incidents of ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops since India carried out surgical strikes in PoK after the Uri terror attack in which 19 Indian soldiers were killed.