Jammu:

Pakistani troops on Wednesday violated ceasefire by resorting to unprovoked firing on Indian posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, prompting a befitting response by the Indian Army, security officials said.

The extent of damage on the Pakistan side was not known immediately but the officials said the enemy forces suffered “heavy casualties”. The Indian Army neither confirmed nor denied the information.

The ceasefire violation by Pakistan in the Krishna Ghati sector came a day after two Indian Army personnel including a captain were killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion triggered by suspected terrorists near the LoC in the Akhnoor sector of Jammu district.

The ceasefire violation along the LoC is very rare ever since India and Pakistan renewed the ceasefire agreement on February 25, 2021.

The officials said Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing on a forward post in the Tarkundi area along the LoC, prompting a strong retaliation by the Indian Army which resulted in “heavy casualties” among the enemy forces.

An undated video of a Pakistani army officer is making rounds on social media paying last respects to killed soldiers.

Meanwhile, the officials said a junior commissioned officer (JCO) of the Indian Army sustained minor injuries when he accidentally stepped over a landmine in the same sector this evening.

The JCO, who is a resident of Mendhar, was part of a patrolling party keeping a close vigil on the LoC to prevent infiltration of terrorists, they said, adding the injured officer was evacuated to the military hospital.

The situation along the LoC is tense following a spurt in hostile activities from across the border over the past week, the officials said.

This was the first ceasefire violation this year and a fourth cross-border incident in five days.

On Monday, a soldier was hit by a bullet from across the border while manning a forward post in the Kalal area of the Nowshera sector in Rajouri district while an Army patrol came under terrorist fire from a forest across the LoC in Rajouri’s Keri sector on February 8. The terrorists were apparently waiting for an opportunity to sneak into the Indian side.

During the intervening night of February 4 and 5, a land mine explosion reportedly resulted in some casualties to terrorists attempting to infiltrate into the Indian side from across the LoC in the Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district.

On February 10, General Officer Commanding of the Jammu-based White Knight Corps, Lieutenant General Navin Sachdeva, reviewed “hostile activities” along the LoC in Rajouri district.

“GOC White Knight Corps, along with GOC Ace of Spades and GOC Crossed Swords divisions, visited forward areas of the Rajouri sector for an operational update on the prevailing security situation and the hostile activities,” the Army had said in a post on X.

The post, shared by the White Knight Corps on its official social media handles, said the corps commander complimented all ranks for their vigil and relentless operational focus.

He also urged them to remain prepared for all contingencies, the Army said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Pakistan’s unprovoked ceasefire violation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Arnia sector, which began Thursday evening and continued till 3 AM today, forced people to abandon homes in the border village of Bulleh Chak and run for their lives from mortar shells. A woman called Ekta told news agency ANI, “First there was limited firing. Then a big mortar shell hit our house at 8 PM (on Thursday). The kitchen was damaged… all glass windows have broken (but) by God’s grace, we were saved…”

The village’s Sarpanch, Dev Raj Chowdhary, told ANI Ekta and her family had spent the night in their shelled home, praying no further mortars would land on their heads.

Others, who spoke to ANI after the firing and shelling subsided, said they sought shelter in battle-scarred bunkers – in effect, empty underground rooms with no amenities and riddled with bullet holes – that dot the region. And it is to these bunkers that scared locals run to whenever there is shelling.

“These bunkers are quite big… so they are good for safety. Suddenly, (when) firing starts at night we come here…” a resident said, while another added, “They help us… when there is shelling on our homes (it) is safe here. Bunkers save our lives…”

READ | Pak Troops Fire At Indian Posts, Residential Areas In Jammu And Kashmir

The bunkers are critical infrastructure for border villages that live under fear of Pak shelling or terror attacks, but ANI visuals show them in a dilapidated condition.

One video shows a tiny concrete-walled room with dirt on the walls and the plaster peeling in multiple places. The floor seems unwashed and stained, seemingly with water. There is no furniture, save for what seems to be a cabinet and a small table.

#WATCH | J&K: During unprovoked firing by Pakistan, residents of the border village in the Arnia area spent their night in bunkers.

A resident says, “…These bunkers are quite big… So they are good for safety. Suddenly, the firing started at night…We come to bunkers at… pic.twitter.com/daX5axHCea

— ANI (@ANI) October 27, 2023

One resident said the bunkers are needed for their safety, but pointed out, “In the last few years there was not much firing, so we didn’t need to come here. But suddenly last night we had to come and we found it was flooded and, in the middle of the firing, someone had to stand outside and empty the bunker. Thankfully we are all safe.”

Another resident said he thought more such bunkers are needed to save people.

“In our homes in the village, many of have built permanent (pukka) homes but when mortars land on them they also get destroyed. This is why government gave us these (bunkers) but there is a problem… in our village there are 10-12 groups. How many can come here? Not everyone can rush here… and there was also flooded water here.”

#WATCH | J&K: A resident of a border village in the Arnia areas says, “…Bunkers do help us… When shelling occurs in our homes, it gets destroyed… It was safe here. They help us to save our lives…” pic.twitter.com/DhmFISjWzE

— ANI (@ANI) October 27, 2023

Locals said the firing began at 8 PM Thursday and that it was followed by loud explosions as both sides fired mortar shells. The shelling, India has said, was the biggest ceasefire violation along the international border since a deal with Pak in 2021.

Last week, two Border Security Force personnel were injured during Pak firing in the sector. However, on that occasion the situation was brought under control due to a flag meeting between local commanders of the BSF and the Pakistan Rangers.

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