Woman killed in Pak shelling near LoC

Tension has gripped the Line of Control (LoC) after Pakistan resorted to heavy shelling on Indian forward posts and adjacent villages on Wednesday, leaving a woman dead and her husband critically injured in Naushera sector of Rajouri district in Jammu division.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has shut schools and educational institutions in 26 villages situated near the LoC as a precautionary measure.

"Shelling has stopped since the morning. It is calm along the border, but we have closed about 16 to 17 schools in 26 villages of two tehsils. Two higher secondary schools were also shut at Naushera to convert them into shelter camps in case of an exigency", said Dr Shahid Iqbal Chaudhary, Deputy Commissioner of Rajouri.

The Pakistani army resorted to indiscriminate firing on Indian forward posts at 10.40 pm on Wednesday. The Indian army responded in equal measure to silence the Pakistani guns.

"The Indian army posts are retaliating strongly and effectively," said Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta, defence spokesman at Jammu.

The latest incident of shelling has come 11 days after a Border Action Team (BAT) of the Pakistani army badly mutilated the bodies of two soldiers after they violated the sanctity of the LoC and crossed into Indian territory at Krishna Ghati sub-sector of Poonch district in Jammu division on May 1.

ESCALATING TENSIONS

• Tension has gripped the Line of Control after Pakistan resorted to heavy shelling on Indian forward posts and adjacent villages on Wednesday.
   
• The J&K government has shut educational institutions in 26 villages near LoC as a precautionary measure.
   
• Two higher secondary schools were also shut.