An Indian Army jawan was killed after Pakistan allegedly violated ceasefire along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Monday, PTI reported.

Pakistani troops targeted forward posts and villages with mortar shells and small arms in Sunderbani sector, police officials said. The soldier, manning a forward post, was critically injured. He was taken to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The cross-border firing started around 6.30 am, and continued intermittently for several hours, a defence spokesperson said. After Pakistan opened fire, Indian troops retaliated, he added.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had said on July 1 that 1,248 cases of ceasefire violations and four casualties had been reported by the Army this year. Singh said that 203 cases of ceasefire violation were reported in January while 215 were reported in February.

He added that 267 cases had been reported in March with three casualties while 234 and 221 cases were reported in April and May. In June, 108 cases of ceasefire violation were reported with one casualty. The defence minister was responding to a query in the Rajya Sabha.