By Yusuf Jameel
Srinagar, May 9: The Border Security Force (BSF) on Friday sought an urgent commandant-level flag meeting with the Pakistan Rangers to discuss a firing incident along the border with the neighbouring country in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba sector overnight. "We’ll lodge a strong protest with them over the serious incident," a senior BSF official in Jammu said.
The official said the BSF troops came under heavy fire from across the border in Samba sector, about 50 km southwest of Jammu, late on Thursday night while foiling a major infiltration bid by militants. They said about 10 to 15 militants tried to cut through a 12-foot-high fence along the dividing line in their attempt to sneak into the Indian side of the border. When challenged, they opened fire at BSF troops with rifles and also tossed more than 15 hand grenades towards the Indian side.
The militants were simultaneously provided covering fire from across either by the Rangers or by another groups of militants, officials said, adding that BSF troops returned fire, but there were no casualties in the exchange.
The skirmish continued for about 10 minutes. The BSF said this was the biggest firing incident since a ceasefire was declared in 2003 along the India-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir, but was not necessarily a violation of the truce.
A senior BSF official, K. Srinivasan, said India will lodge a strong protest with Islamabad about the incident. BSF deputy inspector-general J.B. Sangwan told reporters in Jammu that a request for arranging a commander-level meeting between the BSF and Rangers responsible for defending the dividing line in Samba region (called the international border by New Delhi and working boundary by Islamabad) would be called to discuss the incident.
There was no evidence on the ground that suggested that the Pakistan Rangers had provided the militants with covering fire.
Mr Sangwan said that around 10.40 pm on Thursday a BSF party spotted heavily armed militants near the barbed fence. "The infiltrators, about 10 to 15 in number, were trying to cut through the fence when they were challenged by our boys, but they responded by opening fire, which was returned," he said, adding that the infiltrators hurled several grenades towards Indian territory to destroy the fencing. The trail of empty cases assessed by BSF men on the ground suggested that both sides exchanged heavy fire as more than 1,000 spent shells of the AK series of assault rifles were found on the scene besides three blind grenades.
On facing resistance from the BSF, the infiltrators went back to the Pakistani side of the border after exchanging heavy fire. Mr Sangwan said the infiltrators took advantage of the protection bund constructed near the international boundary fencing in their attempt to sneak into Indian territory.
