A 45-yr-old mother of four also died as Pak violated the ceasefire yet again on Saturday in Jammu’s Krishna Ghati sector
Tension gripped the Line of Control (LoC) on Saturday when Pakistan army shelled Indian forward posts and civilian areas, killing a junior commissioned officer (JCO) and a 45-year-old mother of four in the Krishna Ghati (KG) sector of Poonch district in Jammu.
Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta, defence spokesman at Jammu, said the firing, which began around 5.15 am, was unprovoked, and that the Indian army retaliated strongly.
"In the exchange of fire, Naib Subedar Jagram Singh Tomar was grievously injured and later succumbed to his wounds," he said.
Tomar, 42, was from Tarsana village in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh. He is survived by his wife, Omavati Devi, and two children. "Tomar was a brave and sincere soldier. The nation will remain indebted to him for his supreme sacrifice," Lieutenant Colonel Mehta said.
Tomar is the second soldier to have been killed in firing in KG sector in the last four days. Sepoy Pawan Singh Sugra of 20-Kumoan regiment was slain in unprovoked firing on Tuesday.
Initially, Pakistani army used small arms and automatic weaponry, targeting the Sarla Post of the Indian army. Minutes later they resorted to heavy mortar shelling on civilian areas.
One of the shells landed near the house of Ruqiya Bi, 45, at Gohlad Kalran village, killing her on the spot.
"Ruqiya Bi was preparing for morning namaz when a shell landed outside her house. She was a mother of four. Our Sub Divisional Magistrate and Tehsildar visited her house soon after," said Tariq Ahmad Zargar, deputy commissioner in Poonch district.
Last Monday, a soldier was injured in crossborder firing in Uri sector of North Kashmir's Baramulla district.
Meanwhile, life came to grinding halt in Kashmir valley and some Muslim-dominated areas of Jammu after people observed shutdown against any move to abrogate Article 35 A, which allows the state legislature to define the list of 'permanent residents' and their special rights and privileges.
Ceasefire breach
Pakistani army committed 285 ceasefire violations till August 1 this year, according to official figures
Around 228 of these incidents were reported along the LoC in 2016 and 221 from the international border
In 2015, around 405 incidents of cross-border firing took place along the border in J&K. Of these, 253 took place along the border and 152 along the LoC
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