The continued cross-border firing and heavy shelling by Pakistan on the Indian villages, along the International Border in Jammu frontier area, has taken the residents back to the days of the Kargil intrusion when they used to spend sleepless nights in underground bunkers.
When Pakistan started heavy shelling last week, it triggered a large scale exodus from the villages. Now, the panicky locals are forced to spend long nights in community bunkers, constructed by the Indian Army under the operation Sadbhavna.
“We are living under the shadow of death. There’s fear in the air,” Choudhary Bacchan Singh, Sarpanch of Suchetgarh Village said.
Suchetgarh Village is right on the International Border in RS Pura Sector and falls in the direct line of fire of Pakistani rangers. Indian Army had constructed a community bunker consisting of three rooms with a capacity to accommodate at least 100 civilians. Bacchan Singh said: “Every evening, villagers assemble inside the bunker and spend the nights here.”
“By remaining in each other’s company we stay positive and try to overcome the fear lurking in our minds ever since tensions escalated along the border,” Balvinder Singh of Abdullain Village said.
In several other villages in Arnia, Ramgarh sub-sector where community bunkers do not exist, the villagers are busy digging pits in their house ‘verandah’ as they fear fresh escalation in the coming days. Sham Singh said, “I have invested over `30,000 on constructing a bunker in my own house.” He said, ever since cross-border firing began in the area he has been spending nights inside this bunker.
The Jammu & Kashmir Government is also contemplating construction of bunkers for civilian population and will be shortly submitting a proposal to the Union Government to support them by funding the initiative.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who visited several border areas last Friday, was requested by villagers and local public representatives to construct more bunkers ensuring safety of the villagers. The State Government is also working on the comprehensive contingency plan to rehabilitate/compensate border villagers in case of fresh exigency. At present over 1,000 civilians are staying out of their houses in different locations. Keeping in mind the safety of these villagers the long range lights, fitted atop religious places, have been switched off for past couple of days on the instructions of the BSF jawans.
The decision was followed after the famous shrine of Baba Chamliyal, located 500-600 metres from the zero line in Ramgarh sector was targeted from across the border to scare away disciples. An annual fair is held every year in June where lakhs of devotees on both sides of the border pay their obeisance in the shrine.
Due to constant targeting in the civilian areas, BSF jawans have been regularly advising villagers to restrict their movement during the evening and also avoid using flashy lights during the night in order to prevent any mishap.
The residents of Arnia, RS Pura, Akhnoor have already taken shelter in the community halls after vacating their homes.Men in these villages return to their houses during day time to look after the live stock and their houses but elderly, women and children continue to stay away from their houses in some of the areas pounded heavily by the Pakistani troops.
Till date over two dozen civilians and more than 10 soldiers have received injuries while one BSF jawan lost his life due to continuous firing in the area which has witnessed over 100 ceasefire violations in the last 10 days. During the period, maximum number of Border Outposts of BSF was targeted by the Pakistani rangers along the 190 km long the international border. After witnessing heavy shelling in Garkhal area of Akhnoor on Thursday the borders are witnessing relative calm as no fresh exchange of fire has been reported in the last 48 hours.