Villagers living along LoC flee their homes after cross-border firing

A chain of border hamlets along the Line of Control wear a deserted look with villagers abandoning their houses to escape the shelling and firing from across the border.

Mortar marks on the walls of houses and shutters of shops in the area are a mute testimony to the firing from across the border.

Border dwellers have fled the LoC hamlets of Panjtoot, Channi Dewano, Mogyal Lalo, Somwa, Chapriyal, Gigriyal, Paltan, Mili Di Khae and Jodian in the Pallanwala belt in Jammu-Kashmir.

Pallanwala market town is also shut down for the past three days following heavy shelling.

“Market is closed for the past three days since the firing and shelling”, Suresh Kumar, a resident said.     

Forced to leave their hamlets and cattle, the border residents want the Narendra Modi government to take strong action against Pakistan so that it does repeat the terror attacks and ceasefire violations along LoC.

“Nobody wants a war but we border people, who have been forced to desert our homes and hamlets every time during ceasefire violations almost annually, want that Pakistan should be taught a lesson so that it does not dare to violate the ceasefire again”, Sita Devi, who along with her family has taken shelter in a camp setup at Radha Swami Ashram in Khour, said.

Devi and another border resident Raj Kumar said their hamlet along the LoC has been deserted. However, some residents have been making trips during the day time to look after their cattle.

“Some of us had gone to provide fodder to animals in the afternoon yesterday, when Pakistani troops started raining mortar shells and heavy firing. We thought we are dead”, Gigriyal resident Ashok Kumar said.

“We managed to save the lives of our domestic animals and some people, who had vehicles, ferried women and men out of the shelling zone yesterday”, he said.

Pakistan troops have repeatedly violated the ceasefire and resorted to heavy mortar shelling and firing on civilian areas in Pallanwala sector of Akhnoor tehsil of Jammu district.

The areas targeted by Pakistani troops include Gigriyal, Platan, Damanu, Channi, Palanwala and Somwa areas of Pallanwala sector of Jammu district. 

In the migrant camp at Naiwala, border dwellers have also protested about scarcity of ration and water.

“We demand food and water supply at the camp,” Santosh Devi Jodian said.

As many as 60 families of Jodian had fled their LoC homes and took shelter in the camp here but authorities told them to go to Khadah Khadi camp but they refused triggering protests. 

Image: A villager travels in a cart after authorities asked them to leave their villages for safety reasons near the Pakistan border, at Paloora village in Jammu. Photograph: PTI