New Delhi, Feb 6: The first 46 days of 2018 plunged Indo-Pak border relations to a new low, with over 160 ceasefire violations by Pakistani troopers being recorded so far. The border turbulence has claimed 20 lives on the Indian side, including 9 soldiers and 11 civilians.

Here are the Army jawans and the BSF personnel who died in line of duty between January 1 to February 5, 2018:

- The first casualty among the armed forces this year was reported on January 3, when 55-year-old R P Hazra was killed in Pakistani shelling in Samba sector of Jammu & Kashmir. Hazra, belonging to Murshidabad in West Bengal, was posted with the 173rd battalion of the BSF.

- Lance Naik Yogesh Muralidhar Bhadane was the second casualty reported among the forces. He was killed in unprovoked firing by Pakistani Rangers in J&K's Rajouri district on January 13. The 22-year-old braveheart hailed from Maharashtra's Dhule district.

- BSF constable A Suresh, posted with the 78th Battalion stationed at RS Pura in Jammu and Kashmir, was killed in ceasefire violation reported on January 18. Suresh, 42, had served in the forces for 20 years. His funeral was held at his native village in Tamil Nadu's Dharmapuri.

- The next army casualty was reported on January 20, when Sepoy Mandeep Singh was killed in Pakistani shelling across the Krishna Ghati sector in J&K. The 23-year-old deceased belonged to Punjab's Sangrur district.

- Army jawan Chandan Kumar Rai, posted at as a Signalman at forward post in Mankote sector of J&K's Poonch district, was killed in cross-border firing on January 20. The 25-year-old's last rites were performed at his native village in Uttar Pradesh's Chandauli district. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh for his family.

- On February 4, four Army personnel were killed in another ceasefire violation by Pakistan in J&K's Rajouri. The deceased include Captain Kapil Kundu, the 22-year-old officer from Haryana's Pataudi district.

- Rifleman Ram Avtar, 28, of Baraka village in Gwalior, was also killed in the ceasefire violations in Rajouri on Saturday. The two other jawans who lost their life include Rifleman Shubham Singh, 22, hailing from Jammu's Kathua district and Havildar Roshan Lal, 42, a resident of Samba district in J&K.

According to reports, over 27 Pakistani soldiers have been killed this year in retaliatory firing by India. Commenting on the recent death of four Indian jawans in Rajouri, Union MoS Home Hansraj Ahir said the Pakistani troopers are inviting mayhem by resorting to unprovoked firing. "Our forces will give them a befitting retaliation," he said.

The ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan was signed in October, 2003. However, both nations have charged each other of violating the agreement innumerable times. In 2017, over 860 ceasefire violations by Pakistan was recorded on the Indian side. On the other hand, Pakistan accused the Indian forces of breaching the ceasefire agreement 1,900 times last year.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 06, 2018 12:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).