The Indian Army has in the past two days defused several mortar shells of the Pakistan Army that were found after the recent ceasefire violation in Karmara village of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir. This comes days after the two sides fired heavy artillery to pound military positions on either side. The video released by the Army shows the shells, of 120 mm each, being lifted by the engineering columns of the Army into containers and placed in pits for controlled explosions. The mortars can be seen exploding moments after the jawans walk away from the site. Pakistan had on Monday violated ceasefire in Qasba and Kirni sectors in Poonch. This followed cross border shelling on October 20 that left two Indian soldiers and a civilain dead prompting the Indian Army to launch a retaliatory attack on at least four terror camps and Pakistani military positions across the LoC. Six Pakistani soldiers were killed and heavy terrorist casualties were also inflicted in the artillery attack. The recent spate of firing incidents along the Line of Control (LoC) has triggered panic among resident, many of whom have left their homes to take shelter in underground bunkers, residents and police said. “There was chaos. Men, women, and children were crying. The shrieks could be heard throughout the night. People thought that they would not survive,” said a resident of Tandgar in Kupwara on Monday. Tensions along the LoC have escalated since August 5 when the Centre moved to effectively revoke Constitution’s Article 370 that gave Jammu and Kashmir a special status. The state was also split into two Union territories in August.
