Kulgam: The Jammu and Kashmir police were involved in a brief exchange of fire in Kulgam district on Saturday evening. The area has been cordoned off. No casualties or injuries have been reported as of now.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan resorted to ceasefire violation along the Line of Control (LoC) in Mankote sector of Poonch district. The Indian Army retaliated strongly to the heavy mortar shelling. Also, a Special Police Officer (SPO) of the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Police was fatally shot by unidentified gunmen in Shopian district’s Vehil village a few hours before.

SPO Khushboo Jan was shot at around 2.40 PM at her home. Jan was in a critical condition and was shifted to a nearby hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. A senior police officer while confirming the incident said, “Khushboo was fired upon by suspected militants at her home. She was working as an SPO in the department.”

Shopian district Vehil village too has been cordoned off by the Armed forces and a manhunt has been launched to nab the gunmen.

There has been an increase in incidents of ceasefire violations by Pakistan after Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out ‘pre-emptive airstrike’ on Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camps in Balakot in Pakistan on February 26.