SOLDIER, MINOR BOY INJURED IN LOC SHELLING

JAMMU:An army soldier and a minor boy suffered injuries along the line of control on Saujiyan and Shahpur sectors of Poonch district after Pakistani army opened unprovoked fire and shot mortars late on Monday night and Tuesday morning.

Police said, “Soldier Jamkor Singh of the 40 Rashtriya Rifles suffered injuries on one leg in the ceasefire violation in Saujiyan sector. The fire exchange that began around 2.05am lasted till 3.30am.”

The soldier was on duty at a forward post when he was hit at his legs, an official said, adding, “He was later shifted to a garrison hospital.”

A defence spokesman, however, said there was no ceasefire violation and the firing was resorted by the army to challenge suspicious movements noticed along the LoC. He also maintained that there was no report of any casualty. However, intelligence sources confirmed that the soldier was injured in the cross-fire.

Meanwhile, a 10-year-old boy was critically injured after Pakistan army shot a mortar on his house in Shahpur sector of Poonch district on Tuesday around 11.20 am.

The boy was critically injured when the mortar shell exploded at his house in Kasba Kayan village in Poonch.

“Ashiq Hussain was injured when a mortar shell fired by Pakistan exploded near him,” said his relatives.

The boy has lost one of his hands and has also suffered critical shrapnel injuries on his face, he added. He was rushed to a district hospital in Poonch from where doctors referred him to Government Medical College Jammu.