NEW DELHI: Agitated over the killing of a BSF jawan in firing by Pakistani troops along the international border in Jammu on Tuesday night, Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde upped the ante, saying that all such unprovoked acts would be met with a “befitting” reply from the Indian side.

“We will give a befitting reply to Pakistan,” Shinde told reporters here, reacting to the large-scale firing since Tuesday on BSF positions along the international border in Jammu. He added that additional BSF troops were being deployed at vantage points in the wake of the recurrent ceasefire violations.

Senior officials in the BSF told TOI that each ceasefire violation by the Pakistani troops was being countered with retaliatory fire, and that the force was fully geared to respond to every act of aggression from across the border. They feel that the large scale firing on Tuesday night, covering nearly 50 BSF outposts, was pre-meditated and part of a Pakistani ploy to step up border tensions.

Pakistan has reportedly shown little interest in sorting out issues through flag meetings. Their commanders failed to turn up for the flag meeting on October 18, when one of their jawans was killed in retaliatory fire, as well as on Wednesday.

Minister of state for home RPN Singh said acts of aggression on Indian soil would not be tolerated and “our troops will reply in the same coin”.

Pakistan’s aggressive act, which cost a BSF jawan his life in RS Pora, coincided with Shinde’s trip to Jammu on Tuesday to review the situation at forward positions on the international border/Line of Control and discuss steps with arms of the Unified Command to beef up Indian positions and effectively counter aggression from across Pakistan.

Altogether, more than 130 ceasefire violations have been reported so far this year, the highest in the past eight years.

Pakistani Rangers had on Monday opened fire at 10 border posts and heavily shelled over 50 border outposts the following night, killing a head constable of BSF.

Asked about the rise infiltration attempts – they totaled 254 until September 30 this year – Shinde said, “There are rivers and rivulets which are tough to fence. But we have discussed possible solutions”.

Shinde had on Tuesday conducted an aerial tour of the fenced areas along IB, besides surveying infiltration routes and damaged fencing and riverine border belts with Pakistan lying between Akhnoor in Jammu district and Pahadpur (in Kathua district). He even presided over a meeting with agencies that make up the Unified Command, asking the J&K Police, BSF and Army to get their acts together and work in complete synergy while countering the terrorists.