Fearing shelling from Pakistan, residents of Plah village shift children, women to safety

AMRITSAR: Panicked over shelling from Pakistan side, residents of Palah village in Pathankot district have sent children and womenfolk to safety. The village recently came under firing from across the border. Though no loss of life or damage to property has been reported, empty shells of Pakistan weapons have spread scare among the residents.

"Yes, women and children from a few families have moved to Bamyal; all the men are in the village," Sukhwinder Singh, deputy commissioner, Pathankot told TOI on Wednesday, adding that no relief camp had been set up. "These people have gone to their relatives and friends," he said.

The DC said after the shelling incident, officials of Pathankot administration, including a naib tehsildar, visited the affected village to inspect and instill a sense of security among its residents.

Plah is located near Paharipur forward border outpost (BOP) of the Border Security Force in Jammu and Kashmir. During the ceasefire violations, Pakistan Rangers targetted the BOP and a few stray shells had fallen in Palah, but no damage had been reported in the village.

Sources informed that two shells were recovered on last Saturday triggering panic, while a few shells had fallen in the fields. The shells were also reportedly fallen in the verandahs of two houses of the village.

DC said the administration had asked Palah residents not to panic. "We are keeping a watch on the situation," he said.

BSF inspector general, frontier, Anil Paliwal said the issue was in their knowledge. However, he said there was no imminent danger to the village as it was a spillover effect of Pak shelling. "But we have our sufficient deployment and are keeping round the clock vigil," he said.

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