Jammu: BSF jawan killed on his birthday in unprovoked firing by Pakistan sniper

Unprovoked firing from Pakistan along the International Border in Jammu on Wednesday resulted in a death of a BSF jawan on his birthday.

The BSF guards the Indo-Pak International Border (IB) in the region. AFP Photo/Representational

JAMMU: Unprovoked firing from Pakistan along the International Border in Jammu on Wednesday resulted in a killing of a BSF jawan on his birthday. This was the first incident of shelling by Pakistan forces this year. Head Constable RP Hazara, 50, was deployed on the IB in the Samba sector of Jammu and Kashmir. He was severely wounded after Pakistani border "sniped" from across the border at about 4 pm. He was later rushed to a medical centre where he succumbed to his injuries.  He was born on this day in 1967. Indian forces have initiated retaliatory firing. "After the BSF strongly and effectively retaliated, heavy firing exchanges are now going on between the two sides in Samba and Hiranagar sectors," IANS quoted a source as saying. Hazra, who hails from Murshidabad in West Bengal, has served for about 27 years in the border guarding force. He is survived by a daughter (21) and son (18). The incident came just days after an army personnel was killed along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district on December 31 last year. Sepoy Jagsir Singh (32) was killed when he was shot by Paksitani troops from across the border along the LoC in Rajouri district on the last day of 2017, the year which recorded the highest number of ceasefire violations in the past decade resulting in the death of 35 people including 19 army personnel and four BSF men. India shares a 3,323-km border with Pakistan, of which 221 km of the IB and 740 km of the LoC fall in Jammu and Kashmir. On December 23, an Army major and three soldiers were killed along the LoC in Rajouri and in retaliatory action, Indian troops killed three Pakistani soldiers in Pakistan- occupied Kashmir two days later. The BSF guards the Indo-Pak International Border (IB) in the region. (With inputs from PTI)