Soldier, civilian die; toll 12

Jammu, January 21

Signalman Chandan Kumar Rai, who was critically injured during the ceasefire violation in Mendhar sector of the Line of Control (LoC) on Saturday, succumbed to his injuries at the military hospital last night. 

One civilian was today killed and another injured when Pakistani troops resorted to heavy shelling along the International Border (IB) and the LoC in Jammu and Poonch districts.

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"Two brothers were injured when shells hit their house in Kanachak-Pragwal sector along the IB in Jammu district tonight. One of them, Gopal, later succumbed to his injuries and the other is in hospital," a senior police official said.

The death toll in the intense shelling by Pakistan troops over the past four days has now risen to 12  — three soldiers, two BSF personnel and seven civilians.

Pakistani troops violated ceasefire for the fourth consecutive day today, resorting to heavy shelling along the LoC in Noushera, Rajouri and Akhnoor sectors of J&K. While Rajouri DC Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said Pakistan resumed heavy shelling in Bhawani, Karali, Said, Numb and Sher Makri areas this evening, a BSF spokesman said firing from across the border stopped in Samba and Kathua districts in the afternoon, but intermittently went on in some areas of Jammu district.

In Jammu district, over 1.27 lakh people in 81 villages have been affected by the border shelling and 41,000 moved to safer places. In the shelling that started on January 18, mostly Arnia, RS Pura and Suchetgarh areas were affected. On January 19, the shelling spread to Samba and Kathua districts. The following 

day, Marh area also witnessed heavy shelling, said official sources. — TNS