An officer of the Border Security Force (BSF), a 5-year-old girl, Sobia Shafiq, and a woman were killed and about 20 others, including six Army and four BSF personnel, were injured on Monday when Pakistani troops indulged in unprovoked heavy shelling at several civilian areas and Indian Army positions in Poonch district.

The martyred BSF Inspector has been identified as T Alex Lalminlun. Four other personnel were injured as Pakistani troops fired shells at a position near the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch.

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Several houses were destroyed in different villages as the Pakistani troops targeted the civilian areas in Bandichachian, Gulpur, Digwar, Dingla and Banpat and at least 10 civilians were injured.

The minor girl died and her mother, Naseem Akhtar, and 7-year-old brother Sameer Ahmad were injured in the Bandichachian village when a mortar ripped through her house.

Shajayat Begum of Baloni village, who was grievously injured in the shelling, died in the evening. Her minor child was critically injured and has been shifted to a hospital in Mendhar town of Poonch.

The day-long shelling by Pakistani troops has created panic in the villages along the LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts of the Jammu division as several children and women were among the injured.

Reports said the injured in Bandichachian and Gulpur were Mohammad Jahangir and Nagina Bi. A 21-year-old youth Sachin Sharma was injured when mortars landed at his house in the Degwar Maldyalan village. Mohammad Yousuf of Dingla was injured as Pakistani troops targeted his village.

A 60 years old man, Kabir Hussain, suffered grievous injuries when splinters of a mortar hit him in the Banpat village.

Pakistani Army targeted several Indian Army posts in Kerni and Krishan Ghati sectors on Monday afternoon. The Indian Army was retaliating effectively and strongly.

The injured have been shifted to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Army spokesman Lt Colonel Devender Anand said that Pakistani troops indulged in unprovoked shelling in the Mankote, Krishna Ghati, Shahpur and Kerni sector of the Poonch district.