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Two Civilians Killed, Three Injured In Pak Shelling Along LoC

It is the third ceasefire violation by Pakistan in as many days.
Mukesh Gupta / Reuters

JAMMU -- Two persons were killed and three injured when the Pakistani army fired mortar bombs and automatic weapons along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district today.

It is the third ceasefire violation by Pakistan in as many days. A woman had died while three persons were injured in firing and shelling by Pakistani troops earlier.

"The Indian Army is retaliating "strongly and effectively", Lt Col Manish Mehta, PRO Ministry of Defence (MoD), Jammu said, adding that the firing was continuing when reports last came in.

"Two persons have been killed and three others injured in the firing and shelling by Pakistani Army along LoC in Nowshera belt," Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Rajouri Shahid Iqbal Choudhary told PTI.

"The Pakistani army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatic weapons, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars from 0715 hours along the Line of Control (LC) in Nowshera sector," Mehta said. Over 100 more people have migrated to safer places from five hamlets near the LoC which have been targeted, the DC said. Pakistani troops are targeting Jangarh, Bhawani, Laam belts, officials said.

Locals take refuge inside a bunker after ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Rajouri's Nowshera sector (J&K) continues pic.twitter.com/OxGkCbnyxK

— ANI (@ANI_news) May 13, 2017

A BSF man had suffered minor injuries when Pakistani Rangers violated the ceasefire along the international border yesterday. On 10 and 11 May, Pakistani troops fired mortar shells on civilian areas near the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir, killing a woman and injuring two people.

In the wake of the Pakistani action in Nowshera tehsil of Rajouri district, schools in the area were closed down on 11 and 12 May. An evacuation plan was activated for shifting over 1,500 people from various border hamlets to safer places. Last month, the government had said that Pakistani security forces had violated the ceasefire 268 times in the last one year. Nine persons were killed in these incidents.

Replying to a question in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre had said that between April 2016 and March 2017, a maximum of 88 violations were witnessed in November 2016, followed by 78 in October 2016 and 22 in March this year.

The ceasefire between India and Pakistan came into force in November 2003.

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