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Pak shells 26 Indian posts, two more BSF men wounded
Ravi Krishnan Khajuria
Tribune News Service

JAMMU/PARGWAL, October 19
In the biggest ceasefire violation along the 191.5-km International Border in a decade, Pak Rangers rained mortars and heavy machinegun fire on at least 26 Indian posts and some villages in Jammu and Samba districts.

Two BSF personnel were injured on Friday and a Pakistani intruder was killed in retaliatory firing. The BSF foiled multiple infiltration attempts through the night, said BSF spokesperson Vinod Yadav.

The two border guards have received minor splinter injuries. The have been identified as Sarvodh Kumar and Samir Ghosh of 193 Battalion. "They were injured in Nikowal post of RS Pura sector around 10 pm after Rangers opened unprovoked fire," said the spokesperson.

With the injuries to two more BSF personnel, the total number of injured in Pakistani firing in the past 24 hours has risen to nine, including five civilians. The BSF used hotline to lodge a protest via a forward post in Samba as it claimed the Pakistani side had earlier refused to respond. On Friday, the Pakistani side remained in denial mode, the spokesman said.

The spokesperson said the Rangers have refused to accept the body of an intruder shot dead by the BSF in Suchetgarh. The Rangers pounded Budhwar and Tent posts in Arnia sector, Nikowal, Sangral, Mangral, Allah Mai De Kothe, Jai Kishan, Jugnu Chak and Nawapind in RS Pura sector, 6R and Suchaitpur Kulian in Samba sector, Regal and Khwara in Ghagwal sub-sector, Pansar in Hiranagar sector, Najwal, Jaman Bela and Nikowal villages and Jamuna Bela, Najwal, Matkula, Maljoda in Pargwal sector and Kanachak BD Forward in Kanachak sector. BSF sources said the firing began on at 7.30 p m on Friday and continued till 5 am today.

The Rangers targeted 26 posts and civilian areas in RS Pura, Pargwal, Samba, Hiranagar in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts. "We retaliated in equal measure," the spokesman said. An Islamabad report said Pakistan claimed a civilian was killed and two others were injured in alleged "unprovoked firing" by the BSF. Against the backdrop of increased ceasefire violations by Pakistan, Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde will visit the forward areas on October 22.