Seven Pakistani Rangers were killed and three others injured on Friday as BSF retaliated to mortar shelling and small arms fire from across the International Border at various places in Kathua, Samba and Jammu districts.

“There is confirmed information of the killing of seven Pak Rangers and serious injury to three others,” a BSF spokesperson said. Quoting the official press release issued by the BSF, the spokesperson added: “One of its brave constable Gurnam Singh of Bhaleshar of Magowali village in R S Pura tehsil got seriously injured when Pakistan targeted a BSF post at Bobiya in Hiranagar sector. He was mainly instrumental in repulsing the forced infiltration in the area on the intervening night of October 19-20.”Another BSF spokesperson Shubhendu Bhardwaj in Delhi, however, said that “in a befitting reply to a sniper attack by Pakistan Army in Hiranagar sector at 9.35 am, the BSF launched an aggressive offensive, gunning down a militant and seven Pakistani rangers” during intermittent firing of small arms.