Two Border Security Force personnel among five other people injured as Pakistani Rangers, after a day-long lull on Friday, resumed mortar shelling and small arms fire at an escalated scale all along the Ramgarh, Arnia and R S Pura sectors during the night.
With this, the number of people hurt on Indian side since Thursday night has risen to 12 as earlier seven civilians had got injured in unprovoked mortar shelling and firing from across the border. Though there has been no official communication from BSF about injuries on its side last night, police sources said that two BSF personnel were injured in Ramgarh sector. They were deployed at Majra border out post, sources said.
Two of the injured civilians have been identified as Subash, Vandana and Pushpinder, all residents of Satowali in R S Pura sector. They fired even 120 mm and 80 mm mortars, but the loss had not been much as most of the shells fell in agricultural fields or open spaces.
The BSF retaliated effectively and strongly causing heavy damage on Pakistan side, sources said, adding that firing from across the border stopped around 6.15 am. “There are only a few areas which are clearly visible from our side. Damage visible, but extent not known,’’ said a BSF spokesperson here.
An over 700 civilians including men, women, and children were evacuated to safer places from near the international border in the wake of escalation in the situation along the international border on Thursday night.
A number of houses have been damaged and many a cattle killed and injured in unprovoked and intensified Pakistani shelling going on in these sectors for the past couple of days. A BSF constable and a civilian have been killed and nearly a dozen others injured in shelling and small arms fire from across the international border which started after the visit of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to Nowshera on September 11.
In view of the uncertainty in situation along the borders in R S Pura, Arnia and Ramgarh sectors, sources said that police and civil administration have advised people not to move out of their houses and keep their lights switched off during the night. The educational institutions in border areas of Arnia have been closed as a precautionary measure.
