Border villages turn into battlezone

Border villages turn into battlezone
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Highlights

Border villages turn into battlezone, Villagers in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir live under constant fear that frequent ceasefire violations would terminate the decade old truce agreement, putting their lives in peril.

  • Indian Army evacuates around 3,000 civilians to safety
  • Locals fear ex-PM Atal initiated ceasefire may collapse


R S Pura border (Jammu): Villagers in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir live under constant fear that frequent ceasefire violations would terminate the decade old truce agreement, putting their lives in peril. "We want ceasefire initiated by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2003 to stay, so that we can live in peace. In the last two years, there has been a massive spike in ceasefire violations that have made our life hell," Preetu Devi of Abdullian village said.
Relatives mourn near the bodies of Aslam and Akram who were killed in firing from Pakistan side at Jeora village of RS Pura Sector on Saturday.  PTI
Prakash, who had a close shave after an 82-mm mortar bomb shell tore open the roof-top of his house and landed in his room, said, "We are rattled by frequent shelling and firing by Pakistani forces. The villagers are at their wit's end and they fear that the border truce would collapse, putting their lives in peril."

Harnam Singh (40) and Rani Devi (43) of the Vidipur village, located barely 2 kms away from IB and Ajay (20) of Karotona Khurd, however, could not escape the violence as splinters of shells injured them Thursday night. In the neighbouring village of Jora Farm, the pall of gloom descended on the Gujjar community dominated border hamlet, where a mortar bomb brutally killed Akram Hussain and his 13-year-old son Aslam while three other persons were injured.

The residents of 27 border hamlets along the international border have either migrated or were evacuated, leaving behind one or two members of each family to take care of their house and cattle.

Jammu's border belt of R S Pura and Arnia has been turned into a battle zone. Pakistan Rangers have targeted over 30-40 BoPs and over 20 odd villages during 16 ceasefire violations in past 12 days, drawing strong retaliation from BSF. Dressed in battle fatigues and bullet proof jackets, jawans of the Border Security Force criss-cross through their Posts and Ditch Cum Bandh (DCBs) ready to retaliate strongly.

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