Indian army claims officer killed in fresh firing on LoC

Indian army did not fire back and instead lodged a protest with the Pakistani army over a hotline: Army spokesperson.

SRINAGAR: Indian army said one of its soldiers was killed when Pakistani troops allegedly fired early Monday across the Line of Control (LoC).

The soldier was killed just after midnight at an army post along the northern part of the heavily militarised border, an Indian army spokesperson said.

Indian army did not fire back and instead lodged a protest with the Pakistani army over a hotline, said the army's spokesman in Srinagar, Naresh Vig.

"It is a ceasefire violation. A junior commissioned officer was killed as Pakistani soldiers fired at an Indian army post in Uri sector at 12:15am," Vig told AFP.

The incident came hours after senior officials of the two armies held scheduled phone talks on Sunday aimed at easing tensions in the region, that has recently seen some of the worst firing since a ceasefire agreement a decade ago.

Both sides have accused each other of violating the truce agreed in 2003.

India's Border Security Force said last week that 50 frontier posts had been targeted in an escalation of small arms firing and shelling over the last month - despite public pledges to reduce tensions there.

Pakistan, in turn, accused India of killing a Rangers soldier and two civilians last Wednesday during firing and injuring 26 civilians.