BSF men patrol the international border in the Jammu region on Wednesday. PTI
Tribune News Service
Jammu/ Poonch, May 3
Pakistan today again provoked India by violating the truce pact for the third time in 48 hours as it fired mortar shells on forward posts in the Nowshera sector of Rajouri district and the Mankote sector of Poonch district.No loss of human life has been reported in both incidents. The Army authorities were tight-lipped about the firing from across the Line of Control. However, the civil administration confirmed the ceasefire violations.The ceasefire violations have come two days after Pakistan’s Border Action Team (BAT) supported by covering fire from its posts killed and mutilated two Indian soldiers in the Krishna Ghati sector on May 1.Sources said the Pakistan troops violated the ceasefire on the LoC in the Mankote sector in Mendhar in the wee hours of Wednesday.“The intermittent firing continued between the two sides from 1:30 am to 6:30 am today as Pakistan resorted to mortar shelling on forward posts in the Taian area. The Indian troops guarding the LoC retaliated strongly,” a source said, adding that “Pakistan troops used heavy mortars on Indian forward posts and the fire shots were audible in Mendhar town”.In the Nowshera sector, the Pakistan troops targeted Indian posts around 11.30 am and the firing continued till 12.30 pm. “The ceasefire violation was reported near the Plassy post in the Lam forward area. There has been no report of any loss to human life,” Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, District Magistrate, Rajouri, told The Tribune.
Jawan commits suicide
An Army jawan allegedly committed suicide while manning the fence on the Line of Control (LoC) in the Lam sector in Nowshera subdivision of the Rajouri district yesterday.After legal formalities and post-mortem, the police today handed over the body of the soldier to his unit to be dispatched to his home town for last rites.Police sources said the deceased, Vishal Lahar, resident of Belgaum in Karnatka, was originally posted with 3 Engineers but presently attached with 54 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) under 14 Sector HQ and manning the LoC fence in the Lam sector.At about 6.30 pm on Tuesday, he allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his service weapon while on duty at the fence.He was immediately taken to a nearby health centre by colleagues but was declared brought dead by the doctor.This morning unit officers informed the police about the incident. The police started an inquest proceeding under Section 174 of the CrPC.