Six civilians were injured in heavy Pak shelling late on Sunday night along the International border in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district while several hundred of them were shifted to safer locations as Pakistan Rangers continue to target forward border villages and border outposts in a bid to ratchet up tensions on the border.
According to field reports as many as 30 border outposts and over two dozen villages stretched between Arnia and Kathua border belt were affected by the unprovoked firing by the Pakistan Rangers across Jammu frontier. The firing in the area has been going on for last four days at regular intervals. Due to prevailing border tension, life of local villagers has been completely paralysed while business has taken a severe hit in the festive season. The border villages affected by the shelling wear a deserted look during the day and by late evening male members of the family take shelter at safer locations after dropping their children and women at safer places.
According to official sources, the six civilians were injured when their house was directly hit by a mortar in forward village of Bobiya in Hiranagar sector late Sunday night. Pakistan Rangers pounded over two dozen villages between Arnia and Kathua using 82 mm/81mm and 51 mm mortar shells between 7 pm and 6 am in the wee hours of Monday.
Heavy and light machine guns were also used by the Pakistan Rangers to target the Indian posts. The injured identified as Om Prakash S/o Balak Ram, Ratno Devi W/o Balak Ram, Bachno Devi W/o Bansi lal, Balak Ram S/o Ranja Ram, Rajesh Kumar S/o Om Prakash and Subash Devi W/o Om Prakash were evacuated in bullet-proof bunker by police and shifted to Hiranagar Hospital.