Three people were killed and three others injured in Azad Jammu and Kashmir by Indian shelling from across the Line of Control (LoC) on Tuesday, a senior official said.

Shelling began in the Battal sector at about 1:35pm, with Indian troops using both small and big arms and targeting civilian populations of the area, said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mir Abid in district Poonch.

“A mortar shell landed on the house of one Zakir Hussain Shah in Mandhol village, killing his 45-year-old wife Kulsoom Fatima and 6-year-old daughter Aamina, on the spot,” SSP Abid said, adding that Shah’s brother Nazakat, 30, was critically injured.

He said that another man, Ashfaq, was killed near a place known as Mehndri Bridge.

Elsewhere in the same sector, the SSP said, a 62-year old man, Rafique Awan, and a housewife Rabia were also injured.

“The shelling is continuing,” he said.

Malick Zulfiqar, a local journalist, said exact details of casualties could be ascertained only the shelling stopped.

Battal, Madarpur and Dara Sher Khan sectors were hit after a day-long lull.

The shelling continues even as Pakistan on Tuesday lodged a protest with India over 'unprovoked' Indian fire across the Line of Control which resulted in the deaths of three people a day earlier.

On Sunday, six people, including two women, were injured and at least 25 houses and three vehicles were completely or partially damaged in shelling in the Battal, Madarpur and Darra Sher Khan sectors.

On Monday, these sectors remained calm, but Nakyal sector in the neighbouring Kotli district was badly hit, leaving three persons dead and another five wounded.

Elsewhere, three persons were injured in sporadic shelling in Neelum valley, towards northeast of Muzaffarabad on Monday.