Thursday, January 20 2005 22:26 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Poonch: Ten mortar shells were fired tonight (Jan 20, 2005) followed by Light Machine Gun (LMG) fire from across the Line of Control (LoC) on Hamirpur post in Mendhar sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district close on the heels of the first violation of ceasefire two days back.

Brigadier Dhruv Katoch of 16 Corps headquarters Jammu told sources in Poonch that the small mortars and LMG firing lasted for 15 minutes from 1955 hrs (IST).

However, there was no casualty or damage to property in the shelling and firing, he said.

Asked whether this was the second violation of the truce by Pakistan along the LoC, he said, "We are investigating and it is too early to blame anybody as even militants have these small mortars and machine guns."

Katoch said there was no firing of 82 mm mortars, which are bigger in size.