Army officer killed in Pak firing along LoC in J-K's Rajouri

A Junior Commissioned Officer of the army was killed on Sunday in firing by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, a defence spokesman said.

The firing from across the border in the Nowshera sector was unprovoked and responded strongly by the Indian Army, the spokesman said.

He said Naib Subedar Rajwinder Singh was critically injured in the "unprovoked ceasefire violation" by the Pakistan army.

Singh later succumbed to injuries, the spokesman said.

"Naib Subedar Singh was a brave, highly motivated and a sincere soldier. The nation will always remain indebted to him for his supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty," the spokesman said.

Singh is survived by his wife and two children -- a son and a daughter, the spokesman said, adding his mortal remains would be taken to his home town Amritsar in Punjab on Monday morning.

Army sources said Pakistani troops started firing soon after the Indian Army noticed suspicious movement and alerted the forward posts to scuttle any infiltration bid by terrorists from across the border.

Pakistani army usually targets forward posts and villages to provide cover to infiltrators to help them cross over to the Indian side, they said.

The sources said Pakistani troops also suffered casualties in the retaliatory action by the Indian Army.