Hindustan Times (Chandigarh)

BSF man killed in Pak firing in J&K’S Samba

TRUCE VIOLATION Constable Devender Singh hailed from Agra

- HT Correspond­ent

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)

 ?? NITIN KANOTRA/HT ?? BSF director general KK Sharma (left) and IG Ram Avtar with other officers carrying the coffin of constable Devender Singh (inset) for his wreathlayi­ng ceremony in Jammu on Tuesday,
NITIN KANOTRA/HT BSF director general KK Sharma (left) and IG Ram Avtar with other officers carrying the coffin of constable Devender Singh (inset) for his wreathlayi­ng ceremony in Jammu on Tuesday,

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