Army officer killed in LoC firing

An Army officer was killed and another injured when Pakistani troops opened fire along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Uri sector of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Sunday.

Sources said Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) Prakash Chander was killed when the Pakistani troops fired on Bhim post near Kaman bridge, where Srinagar-Muzaffarabad buses cross the LoC. Chander, a resident of Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand, was part of the Kumaon regiment.

Defence spokesperson Naresh Vij said around midnight, the Pakistani soldiers opened fire on a patrol party, killing an officer. “The Indian Army has lodged a strong protest with Pakistan,” he added. The Srinagar-Muzaffarabad buses, which run on Mondays, were suspended. However, the “Karvan-e-Aman” bus service was not disrupted.

Official sources said a bus from the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) arrived on the other side of the Kaman post, the last Indian post on the LoC in the Uri sector, where the Pakistani troops violated ceasefire at 12:15 pm.

“Those travelling in the bus later crossed over to this side after covering the “Aman Setu (peace bridge)” on foot in the afternoon. Similarly, those travelling to the PoK also crossed over to other side of the LoC,” they added.

The latest incident of firing occurred hours after senior officials of the two armies talked over the phone on Sunday to ease tension in the region.