BSF officer killed in Pak sniper fire along IB in J&K
JAMMU: An assistant commandant of the Border Security Force (BSF) was killed in a sniper fire by Pakistan Rangers along the International Border (IB) in Hiranagar sector in J&K’S Kathua district on Tuesday.
Pakistan troops also violated the ceasefire and resorted to firing and shelling along the LOC in Rajouri district, leaving a soldier and a BSF man injured.
The Kathua attack comes three days after an army officer and a soldier were killed in an IED explosion in Rajouri.
“Our troops were carrying out border domination along the IB, when snipers of Pakistan Rangers opened fire at them. Assistant Commandant Vinay Prasad, 35, was critically injured and succumbed to his injuries at the military hospital at Satwari (Jammu),” said BSF, Jammu Frontier, inspector general NS Jamwal. “We retaliated soon after the incident and have lodged a strong protest with the Rangers,” he added. Prasad, who hailed from Bihar, is survived by his wife and a five-month daughter. “We offer our condolences to the family. The BSF stands by them in this hour of grief,” said Jamwal.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Vijaypur in border district of Samba, adjoining Kathua, on February 3 to kickstart party’s election campaign. In another incident, Pakistan troops resorted to firing along the LOC in Sunderbani sector. “The Pakistan army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violations by resorting to firing with heavy calibre weapons from 1000 hours,” said a defence spokesperson. The year 2018 has witnessed the highest number of 2,936 ceasefire violations by Pakistan troops in the last 15 years along the Indo-pak border.
On Friday, Major Shashi Dharan V Nair, 33, from Pune, and Rifleman Jiwan Gurung, 24, from Darjeeling, were killed in the IED blast in Rajouri.
THE KATHUA ATTACK COMES THREE DAYS AFTER AN ARMY OFFICER AND A SOLDIER WERE KILLED IN AN IED
BLAST IN RAJOURI