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Jammu, October 22
Overnight shelling in Jammu by Pakistani Rangers forced authorities to advise residents to stay indoors on Saturday. Heavy firing was reported in the Rajouri and RS Pura sectors.
“There has been heavy firing and mortar shelling along the IB in RS Pura belt during the night,” BSF Inspector General DK Uphadayaya said on Saturday. “We have asked the authorities to ensure safety of the people as firing and shelling exchanges have increased. We do not want civilians to suffer.”
Shelling was reported near Octroi and Abdullian posts in RS Pura sector.
Uphadayaya said Pakistani Rangers tried to hit a jawan on an observation tower with a sniper but he jumped, injuring his feet.
“Apart from firing, Pakistani Rangers fired 60 and 81 mm mortar bomb shells intermittently from 11 pm and it continued till early morning in Bidipur and Karotana in Suchetgarh sub-sector,” Jammu Deputy Commissioner Simrandeep Singh said.
More than a thousand people living close to the border have been taken to safer places.
Some 55-80 schools were closed on Saturday in the wake of the latest round of firing.
“Officers have been told to close all the schools in villages which are vulnerable as a precautionary measure,” Singh said.
Also read: BSF kills 7 Pak Rangers after jawan hurt in truce violation
The latest exchange of fire comes a day after Pakistan violated truce six times. Pakistani troopers fired at six sectors — RS Pura (Jammu), Hiranagar (Kathua), Samba, Pargwal (Jammu) along IB and Rajouri and Mendhar (Poonch) along the LoC — on Friday.
The Border Security Forces claimed that they killed seven Pakistani Rangers and a terrorist. One BSF trooper was critically injured in a sniper attack.
Pakistan has violated ceasefire 37 times since India launched coordinated surgical strikes on terrorist launch pads across the border on September 28.
