BSF jawan, six-year-old boy killed in Pakistan firing in Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu: A Border Security Force (BSF) trooper and a six-year-old boy were killed on Monday in Pakistan shelling along the International Border (IB) in Jammu district.

Nine others were critically injured in Jammu and Kashmir.

The boy was killed as Pakistani forces resorted to unprovoked firing in a "complete bizarre manner" towards civilian areas at Laliyal village in RS Pura, official sources said.

Out of the nine injured in the overnight firing, condition of a woman was stated to be critical.

"Pakistan Rangers opened indiscriminate firing and mortar shelling on forward BoPs and civilian areas in several sub-sectors along International Border in Jammu district overnight," a senior BSF officer said.

There has been firing of small and automatic weapons and shelling of mortar bombs on over 25 border out posts (BoPs) and civilian areas in RS Pura, Arnia, Suchetgarh, Kanachak, Pargwal sub-sectors of Jammu district since last night and it is still on, the officer said.

"In the firing and shelling, one BSF Jawan was martyred and another injured," officer said, adding that the BSF troops guarding IB were giving a befitting reply.

The deceased jawan has been identified as Constable Susheel Kumar.

Kumar, a resident of Kurukshetra in Haryana, was inducted into the force in 1992. He is survived by a son and a daughter.

BSF officers laid wreath at the mortal remains of the jawan Susheel Kumar.

The jawan was hit with a splinter in his neck at a post in RS Pura and was shifted to GMC hospital, where doctors declared him dead, the senior BSF officer said.

While, six-year-old boy Vicky Kumar died due to splinter injuries of a mortar shell in Lalyal-Garkhal belt of IB.

The child from a labourer family from Bihar has spent the night in bunker and as soon as he came out to play, the splinter hit him.

Jammu Deputy Commissioner Simrandeep Singh said that 30 cattle were also dead and 130 others were injured in the firing and shelling in various border hamlets in the district.

Police said two women were also injured in the firing in RS Pura sector and have been hospitalised.

The firing comes after a lull of nearly 48 hours as Pakistani Rangers resorted to small arms firing and mortar shelling on at least three places in the sector.

Another BSF constable, Gurnam Singh, had succumbed to his injuries on Sunday in firing by Pakistani snipers in Bobiya area of Hira Nagar sector on the LoC on Friday.

After the injury suffered by Gurnam Singh, the BSF had launched an offensive in which, it claimed, seven Pakistan Rangers and a militant were killed on Friday.

Gurnam Singh belonged to Bhalesar village of RS Pura in Jammu district.

The Police and Civil authorities are assessing losses on account of the damage caused to the property in various villages along the IB in Jammu district, Deputy Commissioner added.

There is huge damage caused to the houses and other properties in the border hamlets, an official 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.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Army today claimed that two people, including a minor girl, were killed in "unprovoked firing" by the Indian troops.

The 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-year-old girl were killed while seven civilians were injured, it said.