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The firing from across the border comes barely four days ahead of the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the State, and also ended months of lull in the border skirmishes along the IB which saw heavy Pakistan firing and shelling earlier this year.
Pakistan troops resorted to unprovoked and indiscriminate firing on forward posts in the Manguchak area around 11.30 p.m. on May 14 night and was effectively retaliated by the jawans guarding the IB, the officer said seeking anonymity.
He said heavy firing between the two sides continued for an hour during which Constable Devender Singh was hit by a stray bullet through the loophole of his picket. The constable was immediately evacuated to a hospital but could not survive, the officer added. He said intermittent firing between the two sides was still continuing when last reports were received.
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Army also pressed helicopters into service during the search operation which entered the second day on May 15, the official said. Singh’s death took the number of persons killed in over 700 incidents of Pakistani shelling along the IB and Line of Control (LoC) in the State to 33, the highest this year. The deceased included 17 security personnel.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to arrive in Jammu and Kashmir on May 19. There has been a lull in firing along the IB over the past three months after intense border skirmishes in January and February, which led to many casualties and forced civilians to flee their homes.