BSF jawan, six-year-old boy killed in Pak firing in J-K

Jammu: A six-year-old boy along with a BSF jawan was killed and nine others were critically injured today as Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire, resorting to heavy shelling and firing from automatic weapons in several sectors along the International Border in Jammu district.

The boy was killed as Pakistani forces resorted to unprovoked firing in a "complete bizarre manner" towards civilian areas at Laliyal village in R S Pura, official sources said. Nine others were injured in the overnight firing of whom condition of a woman was stated to be critical.

"Pakistan Rangers opened indiscriminate firing and mortar shelling on forward BoPs and civilian areas in several sub sectors along International Border (IB) in Jammu district overnight," a senior BSF officer said.

There has been firing of small and automatic weapons and shelling of mortar bombs on over 25 border out posts (BoPs) and civilian areas in R S Pura, Arnia, Suchetgarh, Kanachak, Pargwal sub sectors of Jammu district since last night and it is still on, the officer said.

"In the firing and shelling, one BSF Jawan was martyred and another injured," officer said, adding that the BSF troops guarding IB were giving a befitting reply.

The deceased jawan has been identified as Constable Susheel Kumar. There have been over 40 incidents of ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops since India carried out surgical strikes in PoK after the Uri terror attack in which 19 Indian soldiers were killed.