An Indian soldier was killed and two civilians injured during an exchange of fire along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch and Rajouri districts on Monday, reported PTI. Senior police officer JS Johar told the agency, “Two women have been injured in the firing in Poonch. One of them seriously [injured] and has been shifted to Government Medical College and Hospital in Jammu.” According to other reports, however, the woman has succumbed to her injuries.

Apart from the Poonch and Rajouri districts, Pakistani troops violated ceasefire and resorted to mortar shelling in Mankot and Balakote areas as well, said army officers. "Pakistani troops indulged in unprovoked ceasefire violation from 9 am in the Balakote sector using 120 mm and 82 mm mortars, automatic and small arms," an army officer told PTI. The areas affected in Balakote sector are the Dharati, Sohala, Basoni and Panjani villages, reported The Indian Express. The spokesperson for the Army’s Northern Command added that such ceasefire violations “are being retaliated with massive fire assault".

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This comes two days after the Indian Army said it had destroyed four Pakistani posts across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Keran sector through a “massive fire assault”. According to reports, at least 20 Pakistani soldiers were killed in the operation, which is believed to be in retaliation to the "ceasefire violations" by Pakistan in several sectors of the state on Friday. The Indian Army had also said that militants killed a jawan and mutilated his body during an encounter in Machhal sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Friday evening.

According to PTI, there have been more that 60 ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops ever since India carried out the surgical strikes on "terror launchpads" along the LoC on September 29. Officials reported breaches on October 3, 4 and 5 along the border in the region. On September 18, militants had attacked an Indian Army installation in Uri, killing 19 soldiers. India had accused Pakistan of being involved in the strike, but Islamabad has dismissed the allegations as baseless.