Srinagar: One soldier was killed on the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistani firing on Saturday in Jammu, while two civilians were injured in Srinagar in firing by security forces. An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was also defused on the Srinagar-Baramulla highway.
The soldier, identified as Lance Naik Yogesh Muralidhar Bhadane, was injured in “unprovoked” firing by the Pakistan Army on Indian posts in Rajouri’s Sunderbani Sector, according to an Indian Army spokesman.
“Bhadane succumbed to his injuries later,” the spokesman said, adding: “The Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively.”
The incident sparked a major “exchange of fire from both sides.” Bhadane, 28, was a resident of Maharashtra.
IED detonated
The Army spotted and detonated a 5-kg IED fixed on the road divider on the Srinagar-Baramulla highway, disrupting traffic on Saturday morning.
An Army spokesman said the IED was detected around 5 a.m. at the HMT-Shaltengh belt on the outskirts of Srinagar. “The area was immediately quarantined to allow the bomb disposal team to defuse it without any damage,” said the spokesman.
In the afternoon, two locals were hit by bullets when the Army resorted to firing in the same belt.
“The matter is being investigated,” said Senior Superintendent of Police (Srinagar) Imtiaz Ismail Parray.
According to police, the Army fired on a vehicle “when it failed to stop, following the inputs of militants movement there.”
The incident sparked stone pelting in the area.
