Jammu, Nov 2 — An army porter was seriously injured on Monday after accidentally stepping on an anti-personnel mine near the line of control (LoC) in J&K’s Rajouri district.
Officials said that Krishan Lal, a resident of Langar village, accidentally triggered the mine explosion while moving through a forward area in the Nowshera sector at 11.30 am.
Lal lost his right foot in the explosion and was immediately shifted to a nearby hospital, officials added.
The forward areas along the LoC are dotted with landmines to prevent cross-border infiltration. However, some of these mines occasionally get dislodged and washed away due to heavy rains, resulting in accidents and posing a threat to people residing in forward areas, officials said.
Army potters are civilian labourers engaged by the army to carry loads, etc in the border areas of J&K. The army has always compensated its potters after they met a mishap during their engagement.
Indian Army Porter recruitment rallies in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) hire civilian porters on a contractual basis to handle essential logistics and supply chain tasks in tough, high-altitude border terrains.
General criteria for their engagement include an age limit between 18 and 40, open to male citizens and generally open to residents of all J&K districts, though candidates from any Indian state are technically eligible to participate in the open rallies. The candidate must be medically and physically fit to handle demanding high-altitude operations.
Army potters have been doing commendable service working in extremely harsh weather and hostile conditions along the LoC and the international border in J&K. These civilian labourers work shoulder to shoulder with the army soldiers and constitute an important complement of the border defence personnel.