Ceasefire violations and plight of a border village in Jammu & Kashmir

Pakistan Rangers, on October 17, blatantly violated ceasefire along the international border in the Arnia sector of Jammu and Kashmir, injuring two Border Security Force (BSF) personnel. The unprovoked firing was the first since a ceasefire agreement was signed between India and Pakistan on February 25, 2021. Pakistan again resorted to shelling on the evening of October 26 that continued till 3 am the next day.

Whenever such incidents occur, it is the BSF soldiers, India’s ‘First Line of Defence’, and the locals living near the Line of Control (LOC) who bear the brunt of it. Tension grips the border villages as residents run for their lives and take shelter in bunkers. Suchetgarh is one such village, located in the R.S. Pura sector of Jammu & Kashmir, which has fallen victim to ceasefire violations by Pakistan several times. It is near the Suchetgarh international border which hosts retreat ceremony by the BSF and draws visitors from across India. Besides offering the thrill of being just 230 metres from a Pakistani post and 11 kilometres from the city of Sialkot, the border area holds evidences of our neighbour’s reckless disregard for ceasefire agreement. One of the walls facing Pakistan is dotted with bullet marks while a nearby shop’s window remains broken since it came under unprovoked shelling by Pakistan Rangers.

Bullet marks on a wall at the border

Broken window of a shop

In the event of a ceasefire violation, the plight of the villagers usually goes unheard. According to Bahadur Singh, a guard at Shree Raghunath Ji temple in Suchetgarh since 1994, “Border waalon ki zindagi bhagwan bharose hai (life of those living near the border is in god’s hands)”.

Bahadur Singh (left) speaking with Himanshu Raj

Born and brought up near the border, Singh said that he has now got used to the unpredictability in the area. He shared that when cross-border shelling takes place, one has to lie down in the fields to avoid getting hit by bomb splinters. Narrating the ordeal of his family members during one such firing by Pakistan, Bahadur Singh said that bombs once landed in his own house, injuring his elder brother and sister-in-law among other villagers. He highlighted that the BSF helped the injured reach hospital and took care of their safety.

On being asked if one should be scared for their safety near the Suchetgarh border, Singh stressed that it is the Pakistani security forces who should be scared, not us.  

Like Bahadur Singh, horse cart puller Teja Singh of Flora village too shared the woes that people near the border have to deal with. He said running is the only option for them during heavy shelling. He recalled that a boy from his village was got killed in firing while another had his leg blown off. Speaking about the recent ceasefire violation in Arnia, Teja Singh said a wedding was disrupted by the incident as attendees had to rush to safety at night.

Teja Singh (right) being interviewed by Aamaan Alam Khan

He also shed light on the situation in the aftermath of shelling. Singh said government officials rarely pay visit to the villages to assess the damage and those who incur loss due to the shelling never get any compensation.  

It seems the people of Suchetgarh have learned to live with the threat of shelling looming over them at all times. Many houses in the village have bunkers where people seek shelter when Pakistan rains bombs. These dingy bunkers, which can accommodate a few people, have small windows that offer ventilation and electricity supply. As per villagers, they have been built by the government.

A bunker in Suchetgarh 

 

Inside a bunker

The village is also home to a small school which is today bustling with the giggles of children but once saw the horrors of shelling. One can easily spot holes in the school building where one wall has an eerie message written on it – ‘Unsafe Building”.

A classroom gate damaged in shelling