BSF foils infiltration bid in J&K

Border Security Force personnel foiled an infiltration bid in Jammu and Kashmir's RS Pura sector late on Wednesday night.

The security personnel posted in Abdullian area have been put on high alert after it was found that fencing of the India-Pakistan border was damaged at several places, and blown apart at one place with Improvised Explosive Devices.

At least eight wires of forward fencing between pillar numbers 852 and 853 were found cut by militants and a Cobra wire (carrying electric current) was also damaged due to the blast.

The firing that began around 10.30 pm on Wednesday night lasted for around two hours.

"Yesterday (Wednesday) night, there was a huge blast around 11.30 pm. The villagers climbed up on their roofs to see what had happened. We saw huge lights. For the next two hours there was sporadic firing," said Romesh Chander, a villager.

It is reported that as the BSF patrol team picked up movement near the fence, the suspected militants suddenly opened fire from Pakistan's side near the International Border.

At least 500 rounds were fired from the Pakistan side. The BSF retaliated by firing five tracers, 80 AK-47 rounds, 16-Medium Machine Gun rounds, five Indian Small Arms System rounds, 20-Light Machine Gun rounds and four High Explosive rounds.

This was reportedly the third attempt on the part of the militants to cut the fencing using shockproof cutters and creating enough space for themselves to move to the other side.

On May 9, the BSF personnel had an intruder in RS Pura sector suspecting him to be a Pakistani guide.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday admitted that the graph of militancy has risen in the region as compared to the last year.

"As compared to last year, the graph of militancy has increased this year, but this is because we are (now) getting intelligence inputs about their presence and we are trying to catch them," said Omar Abdullah.