JCO killed in cross LoC firing at Nowshera
Gunfire rattles Rajouri areas
Jammu: A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of army was killed as intense cross LoC shelling rattled Nowshera sector of Jammu region, officials said Friday.
They said that due to intense shelling, people have confined themselves to four walls of their houses.
“A Naib Subedar sustained injuries and later succumbed,” an official said.
He said that from 03:25 PM onwards, heavy ceasefire violation is going on in areas of Nowshera sector with Jahanger forward post and Makdi villages turning out to be worst affected.
“More than ten kilometers of LoC stretch is under intense mortar shelling,” said the official.
He said that an army Naib Subedar deployed on forward location in Saryah area got injured in the firing and succumbed later on during treatment. The slain JCO has been identified as Naib Subedar Ravinder Kumar.
Meanwhile, Pakistani army shelled forward posts along the LoC in Rajouri district also/
Firing and mortar shelling from across the LoC was reported in the Nowshera sector of the district around 3:30 pm and at 5:30 pm, they said.
Indian troops are retaliating to the unprovoked ceasefire violations by Pakistan, the officials said.
“At about 1530 hours today, the Pakistan army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and intense shelling with mortars along the LoC in the Nowshera sector in district Rajouri,” a defence spokesman said.
Indian army retaliates befittingly, he said.
Pakistan again shelled the Nowshera sector at 1730 hours resulting in exchanges, the officials said.
Jammu and Kashmir recorded 5,100 instances of ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) in 2020, the highest in the past 18 years with an average of 14 cases daily, according to official sources.
In these ceasefire violations, 36 people, including 24 security personnel, were killed and over 130 injured, as per data.
Security officials said that shelling and firing by Pakistani troops was “very heavy” in 2020, virtually making the 2003 India-Pakistan border truce “redundant”.
“Pakistani troops repeatedly targeted forwards posts and villages along the LoC and the International Border to create a fear psychosis among the people and destabilise peace along the borders,” a senior police officer said. (with inputs from PTI)
Press Trust of India
