Two Army jawans attained martyrdom while five others, including two soldiers and two civilians, were injured in fresh exchange of intense shelling along the line of Control (loC) in Poonch on Sunday.
Pakistani Army pounded Indian posts and several civilian areas using 120 mm and 82 mm mortar shells during the day in Poonch. Intermittent exchange of cross border firing was still going on till the time of filing the report.
According to reports, unprovoked firing from the Pakistan side started late in the night after lull of four days with no fresh exchange of fire reported since Tuesday afternoon. The Pakistani troops provided cover fire to a group of infiltrators in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch.
The Defence PRO said, “The alert and vigilant troops of the Army observed some suspicious movements around midnight and challenged the infiltrating terrorists. The terrorists opened fire and tried sneaking back towards the Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) side of loC. In the ensuing firefight Sepoy Gursewak Singh suffered gunshot wound and succumbed to his injuries while being evacuated.”
In response, India retaliated heavily and inflicted heavy damages to several Pakistani posts across the loC.
In another incident, a Non-Commissioned Officer, Naik Tupare Rajendra Narayan was martyred when Pakistan Army initiated indiscriminate and unprovoked firing on Indian Army posts along the loC in Poonch Sector on Sunday. The firing started around 10.15 am and continued during the day.
Pakistani shells landed in several forward areas triggered fresh wave of terror. The local villagers faced maximum brunt of fire as they had earlier refused to vacate their houses.
Defence PRO said, “Naik Tupare Rajendra Narayan is survived by his wife, Sharmila. The braveheart soldier hailed from Karve village, Tehsil Chandbad, District Kolhapur of Maharashtra”.
Sepoy Gursewak Singh, 23, belonged to village Warana, PO lalpur, District Tarn Taran of Amritsar. He is survived by his father, Balvinder Singh.
General Officer Commanding Ace of Spades Division laid a wreath on behalf of General Officer Commanding White Knights Corps and all ranks of the Division for the supreme sacrifice made by the soldier in the line of duty.
There have been over 100 ceasefire violations on Indian posts and civilian areas along the loC in Jammu & Kashmir after the surgical strike.
Eight civilians, including two children and four women, were killed and 22 others injured along the International Border (IB) and the loC in five sectors of J&K on November 1, forcing Indian troops to give befitting reply by destroying 14 Pakistani posts and killing two of their troopers.
The State Government had closed over 350 schools along the IB and the loC in Jammu region in wake of the ongoing heavy cross-border firing.