BSF ups ante as Rangers get Army weapons

Mukesh Ranjan in New Delhi

Pakistani border guards (Rangers) are firing with weapons meant for the country’s Army, and that too, on the civilian areas on the Indian side. The BSF response is with traditional weapons like 82mm and 120 mm mortar, 25-pounder artillery, medium and light machine guns and sniper fire. A 25-pounder artillery gun carries about 10 kg of ammunition to hit targets up to 10-12 km. The force has fired this gun about 100 times. The BSF has also fired 3,300 long-range mortar shells (which can hit targets within range of 5-6 km), 2,100 short range mortar shells (effective for 900 metres), and over 35,000 bullets using small arms like medium and light machine guns. 

In the past one month the BSF’s relentless action has seen over 40,000 rounds of fire. As the exchange of fire intensified particularly since October 19, Indian troops have fired more than 7,000 mortar shells resulting in several Pakistani soldiers being killed. Both along the IB and LoC, most Pak firing is meant to provide cover to terrorists to infiltrate or inflict casualty on civilians so as to build “domestic pressure on the Indian government to reduce hot counter-pursuit,” said a senior BSF officer.

Inspector General (IG) BSF of Jammu Frontier DK Upadhyay claimed that Pakistani troops are deliberately targeting civilian areas in J&K’s Samba, Kathua and Jammu districts. “Our retaliation is specifically aimed at targeting the Pakistani bunkers, 14 of which were completely destroyed,” he said, adding the civilian casualties reported on the other side of the IB and the LoC might have resulted in “collateral” damage.