Army JCO killed in sniper attack along LOC in Rajouri

SRINAGAR: A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of the Army was killed possibly in a sniper attack from across the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Sunday.

The Army sources identified the slain Naib Subedar (JCO) as Rajvinder Singh of 1 Sikh Regiment. The sources said that though the exact cause of the fatality is not known it could be a sniper attack, a ceasefire violation or a sneak attack by infiltrators. “There could be some other reason behind this killing. We’re investigating and trying to ascertain how actually he was killed,” the sources said.

An earlier report had said that the facing armies traded small arms fire in Kalsiyan and Jhangar areas of Nowshera sector after suspicious movement was observed by Indian Army near the fence early Sunday. It is likely that Naib Subedar Singh was killed during that exchange of fire, he report had said.

The Indian and Pakistani armies and border guards often clash along the LoC and also International Border (IB) in J&K. As per official statics, 16 Army and BSF personnel, three civilian porters working for the Army, seven militants and infiltrators and an equal number of civilians were killed in the incidents of cross-border firing and shelling, clashes and sneak attacks carried out by militants along the LoC and 198-km stretch of IB with Pakistan in Jammu region-called ‘Working Boundary’ by Islamabad, so far, this year. After each violation of the November 2003 ceasefire understanding, the two sides have accused each other of initiating firing.