Jammu: A 55-year-old woman, critically injured in cross-border shelling along the International Border, today succumbed to her injuries at a government hospital in Jammu after battling for life for 16 days, officials said, taking the number of people dead in the cross-border firing this year to 47.
Darshana Devi, a resident of Arnia village near the International Border, was admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital on May 21 and breathed her last this afternoon, a police official said.
The medical superintendent of the hospital, Dara Singh, said despite their efforts, Devi could not be saved.
“She was suffering from polytrauma. The splinters (from a mortar shell) had pierced her chest and caused liver laceration and impacted her kidneys,” the doctor said.
The police official said the body would be handed over to her family after postmortem examination.
Meanwhile, The BSF has decided to not lower guard and continue to maintain a high level of vigil along the International Border (IB) in the Jammu frontier despite a recent sector commander level meeting, held to ease tensions, a senior official said today.
Over 30,000 people, who fled border hamlets along the IB in Akhnoor sector due to heavy shelling by Pakistan on June 03 resulting in death of two BSF troopers and injuries to 16 others, have returned to their homes after a meeting between Pak Rangers and BSF on June 04.
However, the border guarding force continues to be alert. “We have not lowered our guard along the border (after the sector commander level meeting). We are on alert,” IG, BSF (Jammu Frontier) Ram Awtar said.
He said the border with Pakistan was silent as there were no ceasefire violations for the last couple of days. People have returned to their homes after the sector commander level meeting between BSF and Pak Rangers on June 04, the official said.
“People will slowly get the confidence to resume farming activity,” he said.
Asked about the reports of use of flying objects by Pakistan along the IB in Akhnoor sector, the IG said these things keep happening and there was nothing to worry. According to some reports, the people of a border hamlet in Pargwal saw red light emitting object flying close to the border last night.
Earlier, on Monday, the border-guarding forces of India and Pakistan decided to ensure peace by “holding fire” along the IB in Jammu and Kashmir, a day after two BSF troopers were killed amidst a spate of ceasefire violations by Pakistan.
A sector commander-level meeting of the BSF and the Pakistan Rangers was held at the Octroi post in R S Pura sector after the two sides mutually decided to talk.
According to official data, there were 1,252 “ceasefire violations by Pakistan” in Jammu and Kashmir since January to May 31 this year.
