Pak army kills, mutilates two Indian soldiers near LoC

Despicable act: India warns of appropriate response

In an unprovoked action, Pakistani soldiers on Monday killed two Indian soldiers and mutilated their bodies near the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

The attack was carried out by the Border Action Team (BAT) of the Pakistan Army under the cover of heavy mortar shelling on two forward posts in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district, said a statement from the army’s Northern Command.

“A BAT action was launched on a patrol operating between the two posts. In an unsoldierly act by the Pakistan Army, the bodies of two of our soldiers were mutilated,” the statement said.

Warning that they will avenge the Pakistani action, the army said, “Such despicable act will be appropriately responded (to).” Three more soldiers, who were injured in the firing, have been shifted to hospitals, officials said.

The slain soldiers have been identified as Subedar Paramjeet Singh of 22 Sikh Infantry and Havaldar Prem Sagar of 200th Battalion of BSF.

Troops surprised
Sources told DH that the ambush took the Indian troops by surprise. “As heavy firing from the Pakistani side was going on, the BAT, wearing black combat uniforms, crossed over the LoC and mutilated the bodies of two Indian soldiers,” they said.

Sources in army headquarters, however, said it was not immediately clear whether the team that carried out Monday’s action comprised only Pakistan Army regulars or Pak-backed ultras.
The BAT, besides Pakistan Army regulars, usually consists of commandos and dreaded terrorists from the Lashkar-e-Toiba, Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammad outfits.

Movement watched
Army sources pointed out that when the Pakistan Army firing began around 8.40 am, the 9-member patrol team — four from the army and five from BSF — functioning under the operational command of the 10 Brigade, was moving from one post to another at a distance of 700-800 metres.

That was the time when the BAT, that moved almost 200 metres inside the Indian territory, ambushed the patrol team. The patrolling pattern was possibly watched by the Pakistan Army for several weeks before they zeroed in on the time and place of action.

Pakistan Army posts are located at dominating positions in the area. Because of continuous firing from rocket-propelled grenade launchers and mortars, the entire patrol team first ducked for cover and then took position for counter-firing.

The two Indian soldiers, who were at a distance from other team members. “The BAT managed to escape from the spot after carrying out the deadly attack. As Indian posts are closer to Pakistan in Krishna Ghati sector, the rugged terrain and thick forests give infiltrators an advantage to escape,” sources added.

This was the second such attack in the same area after January 8, 2013, when the Pakistani BAT had decapitated bodies of two Indian soldiers — Lance Naik Hemraj and Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh — after entering into the Indian territory. This is the third instance of mutilation of bodies of Indian soldiers in the last six months after the ones in October and November 2016.

The latest attack comes a day after Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited the LoC and said his country would continue to support the “political struggle” of Kashmiris for the right of “self-determination”.


Security reviewed
Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday reviewed security situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the Maoist-affected states in the wake of recent violence. Singh was briefed about the ground situation in J&K, particularly along the border, where the bodies of two soldiers were mutilated by the Pakistan Army.