In the worst single day of civilian deaths during the ceasefire violations, the firing and shelling by Pakistan Rangers along the International Border and the Line of Control (LoC) killed eight persons, including two children and four women, in the Jammu region on Tuesday.
The Border Security Force retaliated strongly, in which “two Pakistani soldiers were killed and 14 posts destroyed” along the International Border in the Ramgarh and Arnia sectors.
Six civilians became the target of cross-border shelling, mainly of 84-mm mortars, in Samba district.
A top civilian official told The Hindu that Hanju Devi and children Rishav and Abdhi, aged between four and seven, were hit by a shell when they were out in the open in the Rangoor camp at Ramgarh.
Another woman, Ravinder Kour, 19, was hit by a shell inside her house at Jerda, he said.
Marha Ram, 60, of Rangoor camp, was hit by splinters and died in hospital. Sources said Swarn Singh, of Govindgarh, died of shock. At least 30 civilians were evacuated in R.S. Pora.
Sultan Begam, 70, and her daughter-in-law Maqbool Begum, 28, died at Tarkundi in Rajouri district. They were hit by the shells while working in the field.
For the first time in two decades, shells landed in Mendhar town in Poonch, forcing closure of the government college. “Bassoni, Dharana and Gholad villages have been badly hit,” said Javed Ahmed Rana, MLA from Mendhar in Poonch.
At least 20 civilians were injured in Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch districts.
Deputy Commissioner for Jammu Simrandeep Singh said: “All 174 schools situated along the IB and the LoC in Jammu have been closed until further orders.”
