Lance Naik among 15 killed as Pakistan shells LoC villages for 14th day
The J&K administration has started evacuating people from vulnerable areas along the LoC to safer places
Jammu/Srinagar, May 8: Fifteen people, including a soldier, were killed and over 57 others injured as Pakistan Army continued heavy artillery shelling on villages near the Line of Control (LoC) for the 14th consecutive day, on Thursday.
Among the 14 civilian casualties were four children, according to a news agency report.
The martyred soldier was Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar of the 5 Field Regiment, the Army’s Nagrota headquartered White Knight Corps informed through a social media post.
“GOC and all ranks of #WhiteKnightCorps salute the supreme sacrifice of L/Nk Dinesh Kumar of 5 Fd Regt, who laid down his life on 07 May 25 during Pakistan Army shelling. We also stand in solidarity with all victims of the targeted attacks on innocent civilians in #Poonch Sector,” the post read.
A statement from the Ministry of Defence (MoD), while confirming heavy artillery shelling by the Pakistan Army along the border, said that the Indian Army responded proportionately to the unprovoked firing.
“During the night of 07-08 May 2025, Pakistan Army posts resorted to unprovoked fire using Small Arms and Artillery Guns across the LoC in areas opposite Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri and Akhnoor areas in J&K,” the statement read.
This is the first time that such an intense shelling has been witnessed after the ceasefire agreement was renewed between the two countries on February 25, 2021.
Meanwhile, the J&K administration has started evacuating people from vulnerable areas along the LoC to safer places.
District hospitals in Poonch and Baramulla have received a large number of injured civilians, and special arrangements have been made at the government medical college hospital in Jammu to treat people needing specialised treatment.
All schools, colleges and other educational institutions have been closed in Jammu, Poonch, Rajouri, Samba, Kathua and Baramulla, Kupwara and Gurez.
The Air Force has taken over Srinagar airport, and all civilian flight operations have been suspended till May 10.
On Wednesday, India also closed the Kartarpur border crossing point on the international border in Punjab.
--With inputs from agencies