An Indian soldier was beheaded and another killed by Pakistani troops after they crossed over into Indian territory in the Mendhar sector of Jammu & Kashmir on Tuesday, in a grim reminder of the brutality perpetrated during the 1999 Kargil conflict which can make peace making even more difficult.
The "border action team" of the Pakistani Army took advantage of the thick fog in the thickly-forested mountainous region to sneak 500 to 600 metres across the Line of Control (loC) before they were driven back after a fierce gun-battle and even close-quarter combat with Indian troops that went on for over 30 minutes shortly before noon on Tuesday.
After the gun battle, the bodies of Lance-Naiks Hemraj and Sudhakar Singh, part of an "area domination patrol" of the 13 Rajputana Rifles, were found. One of them was badly "mutilated". Although the Army did not give more details of the barbarism, sources said the retreating Pakistani soldiers had chopped off the "head" of one of the Indian soldiers and taken it back with them. Besides killing two, they also injured two other soldiers and took away their weapons and other belongings.
The incident happened at about 12.30 pm on Tuesday in Mendhar sector of Poonch district, about 250 km northwest of Jammu.
The Pakistanis are said to have infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir under the cover of a thick fog in the forested area. A group of Pakistani soldiers intruded across the LoC taking advantage of a thick fog and mist in the forested area. An Indian military patrol spotted them and engaged the intruders, the gun battle lasting for about half hour after which the intruders retreated.
The decapitation of the Indian soldier on Tuesday evoked memories of the barbaric way in which during the 1999 Kargil conflict Captain Saurabh Kalia was tortured by his Pakistani captors who later handed over his badly mutilated body to India. Kalia's father is still fighting to get Pakistan to punish the soldiers who were responsible for his son's brutal torture.
Predictably, the Pakistan military denied its troops had crossed over into India or indulged in a ceasefire violation on Tuesday. A statement by the Pakistani army described India's allegations as "propaganda" to divert attention from a cross-border raid on Sunday in which a Pakistani soldier was killed. New Delhi has denied the allegations.
Defence Minister A K Antony said, "Pakistan Army's action is highly provocative. The way they treated the dead bodies of Indian soldiers is inhuman. We will convey our protest to Pakistan government and our DGMO will talk to his counterpart. We are closely following the situation".
The "border action team" of the Pakistani Army took advantage of the thick fog in the thickly-forested mountainous region to sneak 500 to 600 metres across the Line of Control (loC) before they were driven back after a fierce gun-battle and even close-quarter combat with Indian troops that went on for over 30 minutes shortly before noon on Tuesday.
After the gun battle, the bodies of Lance-Naiks Hemraj and Sudhakar Singh, part of an "area domination patrol" of the 13 Rajputana Rifles, were found. One of them was badly "mutilated". Although the Army did not give more details of the barbarism, sources said the retreating Pakistani soldiers had chopped off the "head" of one of the Indian soldiers and taken it back with them. Besides killing two, they also injured two other soldiers and took away their weapons and other belongings.
The incident happened at about 12.30 pm on Tuesday in Mendhar sector of Poonch district, about 250 km northwest of Jammu.
The Pakistanis are said to have infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir under the cover of a thick fog in the forested area. A group of Pakistani soldiers intruded across the LoC taking advantage of a thick fog and mist in the forested area. An Indian military patrol spotted them and engaged the intruders, the gun battle lasting for about half hour after which the intruders retreated.
The decapitation of the Indian soldier on Tuesday evoked memories of the barbaric way in which during the 1999 Kargil conflict Captain Saurabh Kalia was tortured by his Pakistani captors who later handed over his badly mutilated body to India. Kalia's father is still fighting to get Pakistan to punish the soldiers who were responsible for his son's brutal torture.
Predictably, the Pakistan military denied its troops had crossed over into India or indulged in a ceasefire violation on Tuesday. A statement by the Pakistani army described India's allegations as "propaganda" to divert attention from a cross-border raid on Sunday in which a Pakistani soldier was killed. New Delhi has denied the allegations.
Defence Minister A K Antony said, "Pakistan Army's action is highly provocative. The way they treated the dead bodies of Indian soldiers is inhuman. We will convey our protest to Pakistan government and our DGMO will talk to his counterpart. We are closely following the situation".
Reference: Indian Express; NDTV; Hindustan Times; Times Of India; DNA