*Army shifts strategy, decimates Pak posts targeting civilians
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 28: In one of the fiercest offensive against Pakistan during escalated tensions along the International Border (IB) in the past one week, the Border Security Force (BSF) has gunned down 15 Pakistani Rangers and destroyed their two dozen Observation Towers and Border Out Posts (BOPs) besides causing huge destruction while two civilians including a woman and a teen-age boy were killed in Pakistan shelling at the Line of Control (LoC) in Balakote and Khour sectors of Poonch and Jammu districts respectively and two security personnel including a Major and four civilians were injured. BSF has foiled two major infiltration attempts by the militants on the IB under the cover of shelling.
After heavy overnight shelling in Hiranagar, Samba, Arnia and RS Pura sectors, the IB generally remained calm today barring intermittent firing but heavy mortar shelling was reported in Khour, Pallanwalla, Sunderbani and Nowshera sectors of Jammu and Rajouri and Mankote, Balakote and Mendhar sectors of Poonch district.
Official sources told the Excelsior that Army has devised a new strategy to counter shelling from Pakistan side to save civilian population and own losses. The Army was now targeting and decimating Pakistani posts, which were raining mortars on civilian population.
“Our troops are now going for the kill. They are decimating the posts of the Army across LoC in Nowshera, Sunderbani, Mendhar, Balakote, Mankote and Tarkundi in twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, which were worst hit by mortar shelling, to avoid civilian casualties.
“After decimating the Pakistani posts, the Army was not allowing Pakistani troops to re-construct the posts by engaging them. In number of areas, the Pakistan army jawans have been either killed or injured when their posts were decimated while others have run far behind for cover,” sources said, adding this strategy of the troops has saved many civilian lives as they were targeting civilian population with heavy mortars and automatic weapons.
This way, sources confirmed, a number of Pakistani Posts have been completely destroyed and Pakistani troops have abandoned those areas as there was no other cover for them. The shelling in some of the villages has stopped after decimation of these posts, they said.
Major Ajit Singh of the Army and BSF constable A Venkatesh were injured in Pakistan shelling at Balakote and Mankote respectively in Poonch district during the day today. They were evacuated from the site of firing and admitted in hospital.
A 50-year old woman Asma Begum, wife of Abdul Rehman, was hit by a mortar shell in her house at village Gohlad in Malikpur area of Mendhar sector this morning. She was injured in the shelling initially but died on way to the hospital.
Local people protested against poor medicare in the area and non-availability of ambulance for shifting the firing victims. They were demanding permanent availability of ambulances in the forward villages and deployment of specialist doctors. On the intervention of police, the people lifted their dharna.
A teen-age boy Ajay Kumar son of Rattan Lal was killed in the mortar shelling at village Gigrial in Khour sector of Akhnoor tehsil.
With two more civilians killed, a total of three people have been killed in ongoing Pakistan shelling. A minor Bihari boy was killed in the shelling earlier in Kanachak sector while nearly more than 30 civilians have been injured. The BSF has also lost its three personnel.
Four civilians were injured in the shelling today-three in Khour and one in RS Pura. They have been identified as Toshi Devi and Chanchala Devi of Khour and Shubam Singh Manhas of Doiyan, all in Khour and Bawa Ram of Berro, RS Pura.
A mortar shell hit a house of Tehsildar, who was not present in the house, at Hamirpur, Khour. Toshi Devi and Chanchla Devi, who had taken shelter in the house, were injured.
Meanwhile, speaking to media persons after wreath laying ceremony of BSF head constable Jatinder Singh of Motihari, Bihar, who was killed at Abdullian, RS Pura on the intervening night of October 26 and 27, Additional DG BSF Arun Kumar said the BSF has killed 15 Pakistani Rangers since the tensions flared up along the International Border.
He said several Observation Towers and Border Observation Posts of the Rangers have been razed to ground or damaged extensively in retaliatory firing by the BSF.
“We stick to our policy of not firing the first shot. But, if fired upon by the Rangers, then we don’t count the bullets,” Kumar said, adding there has been no incident of first firing by the BSF but when provoked, “we are giving very strong and effective response”.
Asserting that the way Pakistan shelling and firing was on, it was clear indication that the Pakistan Army has taken over the posts from the Rangers. “Firing and kind of ammunition used by Pakistan indicated that it was not their Rangers but army, which was firing upon Indian posts and forward locations,” he said.
Kumar said the BSF has lost its third jawan after the sniping incident at Bobiya Post in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district in which Gurnam Singh was martyred followed by head constable Sushil Kumar and now Jatinder Singh, both of whom were killed at Abdullian in RS Pura. Three other BSF jawans have been injured, he added.
On heavy shelling at LoC and reports of Border Action Team (BAT) strike there, Kumar said proper response has been given to Pakistan there.
The Additional DG BSF said the security forces have thwarted two major infiltration attempts on the International Border during the past two days and, thus, averted the major terror attacks. He added that the infiltration attempts were taking place under the cover of darkness with the active connivance of Pakistani troops.
Meanwhile, there was heavy shelling with 120mm and 82mm mortars in entire Kathua, Hiranagar, Samba, Arnia and RS Pura sectors along the IB overnight, which continued till 5 am today. The BSF gave befitting response to the Pakistani action. In RS Pura sector, intermittent firing took place during the day while rest of the IB was peaceful.
However, very heavy shelling continued on the LoC during the day including Khour, Pallanwalla, Sunderbani, Nowshera, Balakote, Mankote and Mendhar. Army responded very effectively to the shelling.
Large number of people continued migration from forward villages on the IB and LoC to take shelter in the houses of their relatives. On IB, some people have also taken shelter in lodgment centres set up by the administration.
All forward villages of Khour were deserted by the villagers, who took shelter in safer areas. Migration from several forward areas of Samba and Hiranagar were also reported.
During last night also, some cattle perished in the firing while many others were injured.
Sources said Pakistani troops are pounding border hamlets with heavy mortar shells to especially target civilians in the latest round of ceasefire violations by the neighbouring country.
In the past four days, a six-year old boy was among three civilians killed while about 30 others were injured and over 60 cattle have perished and 200 left injured in firing by Pakistani troops. Scores of houses and other structures along the IB in Jammu district are riddled with ammunition from across the border.
The situation worsens during nighttime as villagers struggle to find a safe place to escape from the gunfire.
“Pakistani troops are now increasingly targeting civilians. They are resorting to heavy mortar shelling and firing targeting our houses and animals,” Subash Chander of village Suchetgarh said.
Subash, whose seven family members were injured as shells exploded in the compound of his house close to IB in Suchetgarh, said the Pakistani troops rain mortar bomb shells and fire from automatic weapons targeting civilians.
“We are sitting ducks for the Pakistani troops, who find civilian targets and their properties to target after they failed to fight with BSF troops,” he said.
The firing from across the border had intensified from October 21 when BSF killed seven Pakistan Rangers and a terrorist in retaliatory firing.
Many people from border hamlets in R S Pura, Arnia, Hiranagar and Pargwal sectors have left their homes and taken shelter in migrant camps set up by the State Government at safer places.
“As the shell landed in our compound, there was a deafening blast and splinters injured us mostly in legs. All were lying in blood,” Subash’s wife Kamlesh Devi said.
Kamlesh along with her daughter Sukhi is undergoing treatment in GMC hospital.
Daljeet Kaur, who was working close to her house in Chand Chak (R S Pura), was injured when a mortar shell exploded. She was taken by her husband to hospital.
“It looks as if Pakistan is specifically targeting civilians and cattle. Their guns look for human targets,” Kaur said.
In Suchetgarh, Ramesh Chander was returning home on a motorbike when a shell exploded near him, injuring his leg.
In Korotana Khurd hamlet close to Indo-Pak border, Pakistani troops shelled the houses of Kulwinder Singh and Bishan Dass.
“We passed the night huddled in one room as the house was shelled,” said Kulwinder, who later left his home along with his mother, wife and two daughters.
There are similar horrific tales from people, who felt that they were living under the shadow of death.
Harbans Lal of Vidhipur said his entire family would have perished had the shell, which pierced through the roof of their house, had landed any closer to the room where they were huddled.
Three shells landed in the compound of the house of Desh Raj of Vidhipur hamlet close to IB in R S Pura.
“One shell hit a vehicle and damaged it. One landed close to wash room and another landed in the compound of the house,” he said.
Director General of Border Security Force K K Sharma had on Monday said that Pakistani troops were targeting civilian areas.
As a policy matter, BSF does not target civilian areas in retaliatory action, sources said.
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