An Indian soldier was killed in alleged ceasefire violation by Pakistan along the Line of Control Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, said the Army.

Lance Naik Sandeep Thapa, 35, sustained fatal injuries as Pakistan resorted to mortar shelling and small arms firing on forward posts and villages in Nowshera sector, said an unidentified defence spokesperson. He was a resident of Dehradun, and had served the force for 15 years, reported The Indian Express.

Defence ministry spokesperson Lt Colonel Devender Anand said the firing from across the border started around 6.30 am. The Indian Army retaliated promptly. The exchange of fire is still under way.

On Thursday, Pakistan had claimed that five Indian soldiers and three Pakistani jawans were killed along the Line of Control in cross-border firing. India, however, had called the claim fictitious. “The claim by Pakistan is totally baseless and fictitious,” Indian Army spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand had said. “We strongly reject the claim.”

The developments come amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan over the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which gave Jammu and Kashmir its special status. The central government, on August 5, declared that the region would be split into two Union Territories.