Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 23

Even as Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has told the BSF Director General (DG) to take the strongest action against Pakistan, BSF’s hands are tied and its troops can’t cross the International Border (IB) to act against the Pakistan Rangers.

They are restricted to only shelling and firing when provoked by the Pakistani troops.

“The BSF hasn’t moved beyond the Zero Line on the IB to act inside the enemy territory. This time also there may not be any action like the surgical strikes conducted by the Army along the Line of Control (LoC),” said a BSF officer posted along the IB in the Jammu frontier.

Unlike the LoC, the population along the IB in the Jammu frontier is significant in number and any action involves the civilian population also. On both sides of the IB, villages are situated up to the Zero Line.

“Our plan will be to retaliate the firing and shelling from the other side and incur maximum damage. We have proved this time every time. When the Pakistan Rangers provoke the BSF, they face strongest retaliation possible. If they fire one shell, we bombard them with 100 shells,” he said, maintaining, “When we retaliate, the Pakistan Rangers are forced to call for a truce.”

The chorus of teaching Pakistan a lesson is growing since September 18 when a BSF head constable was mutilated by the Border Action Team (BAT) from Pakistan. In response, Rajnath told the BSF to go hard against the Rangers and take strongest possible action.

The incident took place a day after Rajnath Singh’s visit to Jammu to inaugurate two pilot projects of smart fence under the comprehensive integrated border management system. The projects were aimed at putting an end to infiltration from Pakistan side.

Take strongest possible action: Rajnath 

New Delhi: Following the killing of a BSF head constable by Pakistani troops, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had, on September 20, told the BSF to take strongest possible action against the Pakistani troops. The BSF man’s throat was slit and his body bore multiple bullet injuries. The missing trooper was found killed by the Pakistani troops in the Jammu region, in a first-of-its-kind barbaric act against the Indian forces along the International Border. Another official said the BSF was expected to take some a “pro-active” action against the Pakistan Rangers to “avenge” the killing. PTI

Two gunfights in Valley, 3 militants killed

Tribune Reporters

Anantnag/Srinagar, Sept 23

Three militants were killed by security forces in two separate encounters in the Kashmir valley on Sunday.

In the first encounter, a Jaish-e-Mohammad militant was gunned down by security forces on Sunday during a gunfight that lasted several hours in the Tral area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

The slain militant has been identified as Adnan Bhai of Pakistani origin.

The gunfight erupted in the Aripal area of Tral at 8 am on Sunday, the police said. “The area was cordoned off early Sunday morning following inputs regarding the presence of militants in the area,” a senior police official said.

He said the militant, who was hiding in a house, opened fire at the security forces while they were conducting a search operation in the area.

“The fire was retaliated, triggering an encounter. The exchange of fire continued for several hours before the militant was neutralised,” the official said, adding that arms and ammunition were also retrieved from the encounter site.

Sources said the house where the militant was hiding had been reduced to rubble as heavy explosives were used during the encounter.

Meanwhile, a civilian was critically injured during clashes between security forces and protesters that erupted in Wagad village and nearby areas soon after the encounter ended. The injured identified as Manzoor Ahmad Dar was shifted to Srinagar with a bullet injury in his mouth.

“The forces fired at stone throwers. One of the youths was hit by a bullet in his mouth,” a source said. A health official said: “He has been shot in the mouth and is critical. We have shifted him to the SMHS Hospital in Srinagar.”

In another encounter, the Army on Sunday claimed to have foiled an infiltration bid by killing two militants in north Kashmir’s frontier Kupwara district.

“Two terrorists have been killed as the Army foiled an infiltration bid in Tangdhar sector. The operation is in progress,” it said.

The identity and group affiliation of the slain militants could not be established immediately. The operation was launched by the Army on Saturday afternoon when they noticed suspected movement close to the Line of Control near Pathri Behak in Tangdhar sector, over 180 km from Srinagar. There was a brief exchange of fire between militants and the Army on Saturday.

A massive combing operation was undertaken in the sector after the brief gunfight and on Sunday, a fresh contact with militants was established that led to their killing, defence sources said.

45-yr-old labourer abducted in Sopore

A 45-year-old man was abducted by militants in north Kashmir. The police said militants barged into the house of Mushtaq Ahmad Mir, a labourer, at Harwan in Sopore late Saturday night and abducted him. A case has been registered and investigation is on. “A manhunt has been launched to trace the abducted man,” a police officer said