SRINAGAR: Army on Saturday vowed revenge after a soldier was killed and his body mutilated by militants aided by the Pakistani troops cover fire in Machil sector in border district of Kupwara while a BSF man was killed due to malfunction of his weapon while retaliating to ceasefire violation along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.
“An army man was killed by militants, who crossed the LoC under cover of Pakistani troops fire in Machil sector of Kupwara last night. The militants in a despicable act mutilated body of the soldier before fleeing back to Pakistan administered Kashmir (PaK). However, one of the militants was killed in the army firing,” an army spokesman said.
Asserting that this barbarism is a true reflection, which pervades official and non-official organisations across the border, he vowed revenge saying, “This act will invite an appropriate response.”
“While Pakistan Army has been violating the ceasefire over last few days and even abetted infiltrating militants in such despicable acts as witnessed yesterday in Machil sector, Indian Army's response has been firm, intense but military like,” added the spokesman.
The deceased soldier was identified as 26-year-old Sepoy Mandeep Singh hailing from Kurukshetra, Haryana.
He is son of a truck driver and had joined the Army in 2009. He is survived by wife, who is serving in Haryana Police.
“Mandeep was proudly remembered by his comrades in the unit, which also includes his own maternal brother, as a highly professional soldier and a true patriot,” the army spokesman said.
Army in a solemn wreath laying ceremony at BB Cantonment, Srinagar paid homage to the soldier.
Sources said army is ascertaining whether the Pakistan army’s Border Action Team (BAT) was involved in the attack and killing of the soldier.
“We are investigating whether the BAT team had assisted militants in the attack or had infiltrated with the militants to carry out the attack to take revenge of the surgical strikes on militant launch pads across the LoC,” they said.
According to army officials, army men are on highest mode of alert along the LoC after last month’s surgical strikes on militant launch pads.
Pakistani troops have been resorting to near daily ceasefire violations along the LoC and International (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir after the surgical strikes.
Meanwhile, a BSF man was killed due to malfunction of his weapon while he was retaliating to ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops in Machil sector.
“BSF constable Nitin Subhash sustained critical injuries after an explosion inside the chamber of the long range weapon led to a recoil while he was firing in retaliation to ceasefire violation from across the LoC,” BSF IG (Kashmir Frontier) Vikash Chandra told reporters in Srinagar.
He said the BSF jawan was injured due to recoil and was admitted to a medical facility where he succumbed late last night.
28-year-old Subhash hailing from Sangli in Maharashtra had joined BSF in 2008. He is survived by wife and two sons aged four years and two years.
Sources said a woman identified as Shaheena Begum was injured after Pakistani troops breached border ceasefire and fired on army posts and civilian areas in Keran sector along the LoC today.
They said Pakistani troops also resorted to unprovoked firing on BSF posts and civilians areas along IB in Hiranagar and RS Pura sector in Jammu.
“The BSF men also effectively returned the fire and targeted the posts of Pakistan troops,” sources said.
BSF had yesterday said the border guards had killed 15 Pakistan Rangers personnel since October 21, when a BSF constable Gurnam Singh was critically injured in sniper firing of Pakistani troops and succumbed to injuries two days later.