An Indian soldier and a Border Security Force (BSF) trooper lost their lives in separate incidents in north Kashmir and on the international border in Jammu on Thursday while one Pakistani paramilitary jawan was killed in retaliatory fire by BSF.
A soldier was killed and another injured in Kupwara district during a failed infiltration bid from across the Line of Control (LoC), a senior official said.
In a separate incident, a BSF trooper was killed and another injured, along with seven civilians, in shelling by Pakistan Rangers in Abdullian area of R.S. Pura Sector in Jammu district.
BSF later said it had killed a Pakistan Ranger and wounded another in retaliatory fire.
"One soldier was martyred and another injured when alert troops challenged a group of heavily armed terrorists on the LoC in Tangdhar sector," said Colonel Rajesh Kalia, spokesperson of the Army's Srinagar-headquartered 15 Corps.
He said the operation is still going on. The injured soldier has been shifted to hospital for treatment.
Later, a defence spokesman said in Jammu that the Pakistan Army fired on Indian defence positions on the LoC in Krishna Ghati Sector of Poonch district on Thursday evening.
"The Pakistan army violated ceasefire in the KG Sector from 5.10 p.m. today (Thursday) by using small arms, automatic weapons and 82 mm mortars. Our troops are responding in a befitting manner. There were no reports of any casualties to our troops when last reports came in."
Pakistani troops also violated ceasefire along LoC in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district on Thursday.
"At 1230 and 1315 hours today, BSF troops in Arnia and R S Pura sectors killed one Pakistani Ranger and seriously injured another in the retaliatory firing," a senior BSF officer said here.
Pakistani Rangers somehow managed to evacuate their grievously injured colleague in the vehicle amidst exchange of fire, officer said.
"Pakistani has resorted to very heavy firing which is being responded in the befitting manner," he said.
As many as 16 people mostly women have been injured in the cross border firing in the RS Pura sector in past two days. 8 civilians were injured shelling in R S Pura and Arnia on October 25.
Jammu Deputy Commissioner Simrandeep Singh said the government has issued an advisory and all the educational institutions near the International Border have been closed in the wake of the firing from across the border.
Border residents are migrating to safer locations in the wake of the heavy firing, Singh said.
A six-year-old boy and a BSF Jawan were killed in the cross border shelling in the RS Pura sector on October 24.
Over 55 ceasefire violations have taken place since surgical strikes by Indian Army against terror launch pads in PoK on September 29.
