India to take up with Pakistan BSF soldier’s ‘barbaric killing’ and mutilation

BSF jawan Narender Singh’s body was found on Wednesday with bullet wounds and his throat slit in Jammu along the border with Pakistan, according to two officials who asked not be named. They suspected Pakistani troops to be behind the act.

India said on Thursday it will take up the “barbaric” killing of a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan with Pakistan in an “appropriate manner” and added that the incident was “against all international norms”.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh told reporters that he spoke to BSF chief KK Sharma on the day the mutilated body of the BSF jawan was found at the India-Pakistan border. (AFP File Photo)

BSF jawan Narender Singh’s body was found on Wednesday with bullet wounds and his throat slit in Jammu along the border with Pakistan, according to two officials who asked not be named. They suspected Pakistani troops to be behind the act.

“We are ascertaining the facts on this matter... I can say (it is) a barbaric incident which not only defies logic, not only defies civilised behaviour, but also is against all international norms,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

“It is a very serious issue and definitely we will take it up with the Pakistani side in an appropriate manner,” Kumar added. The BSF also registered a protest with Pakistan Rangers over the “unsoldierly” act, an official of the agency said on the condition of anonymity.

A home ministry official said the BSF, which guards the international border, has been given a “free hand” to deal with such incidents at the border. “The BSF has been asked to give appropriate reply to the murder of BSF jawan by the Pakistani forces,” the official added.

Hundreds of people gathered at Thana Kalan village in Haryana’s Sonipat district on Thursday for the BSF jawan’s cremation. Singh’s mortal remains were cremated with full state honours.

Following an attack by Pakistani forces on Tuesday, Singh was found with multiple bullet injuries and gashes that suggested his throat was slit and an attempt was made to gouge his eyes out.

Such killings are not unheard of on the Line of Control in Kashmir, where troops from both sides often accuse each other of engaging in hostilities, but are rare on the International Border.

In a statement, BSF confirmed Kumar’s death and said that he was part of a patrol party that came under fire while clearing tall grass close to the boundary.