Tuesday, 22 November 2016

Day after killing three Indian soldiers, Pakistani troops open fire, target posts in Poonch

Srinagar: A day after killing three Indian soldiers, the body of one of whom was mutilated, on the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, the Pakistani troops on Wednesday opened fire and targeted Indian posts in Balakot sector of Poonch district.

The soldier who was mutilated has been identified as 31-year-old Rifleman Prabhu Singh from Khirjankhas village in Jodhpur district, Rajasthan.
The other two soldiers are Gunner Manoj K Kushwah and Rifleman Shashank K Singh, both from Gazipur district of Uttar Pradesh.
The beheading is the second incident of mutilation of a soldier's body in less than a month. The Army has vowed "heavy retribution for the cowardly act".
The incident took place in Machhil sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had yesterday condemned the "cowardly and brutal" killings of three Indian soldiers.
"The cowardly act of mutilating the body of one of the Indian soldiers had all the signatures of a BAT (Border Action Team) operation by Pakistan army using terrorists and its soldiers," said officials.
Spokesperson of Pakistan's Foreign Ministry M Nafees Zakaria had denied mutilation of any Indian soldier by Pakistani forces.
On October 28, the body of 27-year-old Indian soldier Sepoy Mandeep Singh was mutilated by terrorists.
In response, the Indian Army had carried out a heavy assault in Keran sector of Jammu and Kashmir, destroying four Pakistani posts.
According to figures given by Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre in the Lok Sabha last week, till November 14 this year, eight Army personnel have been killed and 59 injured.
In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Bhamre also said that there has been an increase in infiltration attempts since the killing of militant leader Burhan Wani on July 8.
This was not the first time that Pakistan has mutilated bodies of Indian soldiers.
During the Kargil war in 1999, Captain Saurabh Kalia, and Sepoys Arjunram Baswana, Mula Ram Bidiasar, Naresh Singh Sinsinwar, Bhanwar Lal Bagaria and Bhika Ram Mudh of 4 Jat Regiment were captured by Pakistani troops and brutally tortured.
On January 08, 2013, Pakistani soldiers entered Indian territory in Krishna Ghati sector of the border and killed two Indian soldiers -- Lance Naik Hemraj and Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh. Indian officials said bodies of both were mutilated, and Hemraj's body was decapitated.
Article 4 of the Third Geneva Convention protects captured military personnel, some guerrilla fighters, and certain civilians. It applies from the moment a prisoner is captured until he or she is released or repatriated. One of the main provisions of the convention makes it illegal to torture prisoners and states that a prisoner can only be required to give their name, date of birth, rank and service number if applicable.

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