6 injured in heavy Pak shelling in Arnia sector of Jammu & Kashmir

Jammu, May 21

Six people, including a woman and a special police officer (SPO), were injured on Monday as Pakistani Rangers rained mortar shells on Arnia sector along the International Border (IB) here, hitting Arnia town and a police station, officials said.

BSF troops guarding the border retaliated and the heavy exchange of fire between the two sides was going on when the reports last came in. The heavy firing triggered panic among locals who had started fleeing their homes, they said.

The intense Pakistani shelling started a day after it “pleaded” with the BSF to stop firing, after being pounded with heavy artillery that left a trooper dead across the border.

Jammu SSP Vivek Gupta said that so far six people, including a woman and an SPO, had been injured in the Pakistani shelling in Arnia sector. The SPO was injured when one of the mortar shells landed at the local police station, Gupta told PTI.

Another police official said the injured also included 62-year-old woman Darshana Devi.

All injured had been admitted to hospital and their condition was said to be “stable”, he said, adding that dozens of shells hit the Arnia main market causing panic.

All schools within the 5 km area from the IB were closed as a precautionary measure, he said.

A senior BSF officer said mortar firing from across the border started around 0700 hours. “Three border outposts are under fire from Pakistani Rangers and the personnel deployed there are also retaliating to silence the Pakistani guns,” the official said.

On Sunday night, Pakistani troops fired small arms and mortars, targeting Narayanpur area of Ramgarh sector in Samba district. PTI