BSF MAN KILLED IN PAK FIRING IN SAMBA
Constable Devender Singh hailed from Agra
JAMMU: A 28-year-old BSF constable was killed as Pakistani troops fired at forward posts to push infiltrators across the International Border (IB) in the Samba sector of Jammu and Kashmir, BSF chief KK Sharma said on Tuesday. The BSF men at the Manguchak border outpost noticed suspicious movement on Monday night and fired illuminated bombs before firing from Light Machine Guns (LMGS) on the infiltrators who, however, managed to flee, said Sharma. “Suspicious movement was again noticed and the action was repeated by the alert personnel. But this time, Pakistani troops also fired and Constable Devender Singh Baghel, who was firing his LMG, was hit by a bullet, through the loophole, in the left eye. He was immediately evacuated to a hospital and later achieved martyrdom,” Sharma added.
JAMMU: A Border Security Force (BSF) constable died of injuries he had received in a ceasefire violation by Pakistan along the international border in Jammu’s Samba sector on Monday night.
The soldier has been identified as constable Devendra Singh.
“A BSF jawan was injured during ceasefire violation in Samba on IB near Manguchak post of 173 Battalion at around 0120 hrs (1.20am) late Monday night,” said an intelligence official.
A senior BSF official said constable Singh was admitted to Military Hospital for bullet injuries but could not survive. On May 10, a 22-year-old civilian was killed in small arms firing by Pakistani forces along the LOC in Poonch.
Monday night’s incident came barely 24 hours after BSF noticed suspicious movement of a group of five persons, believed to be terrorists and attempting to sneak into this side, along the IB in Hiranagar sector of nearby Kathua district, prompting a massive search operation and sounding of alert in Jammu.
Army also pressed helicopters into service during the search operation which entered the second day today, the official said.
Singh’s death took the number of persons killed in over 700 incidents of Pakistani shelling along the IB and LOC — highest this year — to 33. The deceased included 17 security personnel.
There has been a lull in firing along the IB over the past three months after intense skirmishes in January and February, which led to many casualties and forced civilians to flee their homes.
(With agency inputs)