A constable of the Border Security Force (BSF) was killed and four civilians injured after Pakistan Rangers targeted Indian forward posts along the International Border (IB) in Jammu’s RS Pura sector on Thursday night.
The constable, identified as 27-year-old Sita Ram Upadhyay of the 192 battalion, was hit by enemy fire at Jabowal around 1:30 am. He was shifted to GMC Jammu where he was declared brought dead at 3:20 am.
Hailing from Paaliganj in Jharkhand’s Giridh district, Upadhyay is survived by a three-year-old son and one-year-old daughter.
Four civilians were also injured the overnight firing, which included mortars being hurled at villages in the border area and prompted India to retaliate.
They were identified as Farooq Din of Jora Farm, Pyara Ram of Shamka village, and Raman Kumar Gupta and Harbans Lal of Trewa village in Arnia sub sector. Gupta, who sustained shrapnel injuries to his head and neck, is said to be in a critical condition.
“Firing in Heeranagar area was on during the intervening night of May 16 and 17 in which one BSF trooper was injured. Yesterday, during the daytime, it stopped but Pakistan resumed firing last night in Arnia sector which claimed the life of a jawan early today,” a senior official of the border guarding force said.
The official added that in RS Pura sector of the IB in Jammu, unprovoked shelling of mortars and heavy fire from the Pakistani side started at about 4 am which was being “suitably countered” by the BSF units.
“The firing in R S Pura sector is intermittent,” he said.
Big explosions of mortars could be heard in Jammu city through the night.
The incidents of unprovoked firing and attempts to infiltrate the IB have increased in the last few days, and comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to a farm university in RS Pura on Saturday.
Earlier this week, a BSF jawan was killed along the Jammu border area while thwarting an infiltration bid
People in Arnia, the biggest town along the IB in the state with a population of over 20,000, have been asked to stay indoors.
Schools within a five kilometre radius of the border have also been closed as a preventive measure.
