One Soldier Killed, Another Injured In Firing Along Line Of Control

An Indian army soldier was killed on Saturday as Pakistani forces opened fire on forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

Havaldar Patil Sangram Shivaji, who was manning a forward post, was critically injured during Pakistani firing in Lam area of Rajouri district's Nowshera sector around 1 am, officials said, adding that he later succumbed to his injuries. Another soldier also sustained injuries and is currently undergoing treatment at a military hospital, officials added.

The Indian Army retaliated strongly to silence the Pakistani guns, and cross-border firing between the two sides continued for quite some time, officials said.

Taking to Twitter, the general officer commanding (GOC) of the Jammu-based White Knight Corps and all other ranks expressed their gratitude and offered condolences to Havaldar Shivaji’s family.

In a statement, a defence spokesman said Havaldar Shivaji, a resident of Nigave village of Kolhapur in Maharashtra, was a brave, highly motivated and sincere soldier. "The nation will always remain indebted to him for his supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty," he said.

According to officials, Pakistani Rangers also resorted to unprovoked firing along the International Border in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district.

The firing on Satpal, Manyari, Ladwal and Karol Krishna border outpost areas started around 10 pm on Friday, prompting strong and effective retaliation by the Border Security Force, officials said. Cross-border skirmishes continued till 5.25 am on Saturday, and there was no report of any casualty or damage on the Indian side, they added.

The casualty comes barely a week after Pakistani troops indulged in multiple ceasefire violations along the LoC in north Kashmir leaving 11 people dead, including five security personnel on November 13.