Panic Grips Border Residents in Kathua-Samba Belt After Pakistan Rangers Open Fire at Civilian Areas

Panic gripped the people living in Kathua-Samba belt along the International Border (IB) in the Jammu region on Thursday after Pakistan Rangers pounded the residential areas with heavy firing, damaging over a dozen houses, officials said.

Many villagers had a narrow escape as they ran helter-skelter to protect themselves from the unprovoked Pakistani firing, they said.

Pakistan Rangers targeted the civilian areas with small arms and medium weapons in the Hiranagar sector, they said. Around a dozen houses suffered damages and bullets entered the bedrooms of the people, the officials said.

The BSF troops guarding the borderline retaliated strongly to the Pakistani firing, they said.

The incident triggered fear among the people in Chandwan hamlet as they began leaving homes to take shelter at safer places, the officials said.

A resident said they demand that the government should teach Pakistan a lesson. "We want that the government should direct the security forces to give a befitting reply to Pakistan. This has been going on for decades," Rano Devi said.

In the Arnia sector of Jammu district, Pakistan Army fired at people engaged in constructing a road, connecting a cremation ground situated near the IB.

JCBs and tractors used for ferrying dug out soil from the area were targeted, the officials said.