One Indian soldier was killed and two civilians got injured when Pakistan resorted to unprovoked firing near the border posts of Arnia sector in Jammu district on Thursday (May 17) night, said a police officer.

The soldier who got injured around midnight (0630 GMT) on Thursday succumbed to his injuries after which Indian security forces retaliated, said Jammu Superintendent of Police, R. C. Kotwal. Two civilians received splinter injuries and were being treated at a government hospital.

The incidents of ceasefire violations have increased in the last few days even as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to reach Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday (May 19) as part of an official visit.

The troops of arch rivals India and Pakistan intermittently exchange fire at the LoC despite an agreement in 2003 that a ceasefire should be observed along the working boundary. The Himalayan region of Kashmir has been a bone of contention between the nuclear-armed neighbours since both gained independence in 1947.

There have been some hundred incidents of cross-border firing between India and Pakistan so far this year. Both New Delhi and Islamabad blame each other for resorting to unprovoked firings.