Whose body is this: Family opens mutilated soldier's coffin before cremation

Jammu/Tarn Taran (Punjab): The family of slain solider Naib Subedar Paramjit Singh, whose body was brutally mutilated by the Pakistani Army in Krishna Ghati, Jammu and Kashmir opened the coffin to see his body before cremating.

The martyr's cremation was held up for a while after his kin created a scene, demanding to see his body first.

"Whose body is this? It is all behind this box! We are not being shown the body? Why are they not showing us the body? They just said that it is Paramjit's body. It is just written on the box," said the kin of the solider.

However, after seeing his body, the satisfied family of the soldier proceeded to cremate his body with full honours.

On the other hand, the Army and the BSF also on Tuesday bid farewell to Naib Subedar Paramjit Singh and Head Constable Prem Sagar who were beheaded by Pakistani forces in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.

A wreath-laying ceremony was organised in Poonch in their honour which was attended by top-ranking security officials.

The mortal remains of Singh, who belonged to the 22 Sikh Infantry, have been flown to his native Vainpoin village in Punjab's Tarn Taran district. The body of Prem Sagar, of the 200th Battalion of BSF, has been flown to New Delhi for further journey to his native place in Uttar Pradesh.

42-year-old Singh is survived by his wife Paramjeet Kaur. Sagar (45) hailed from Takenpur in UP's Deoria district. He is survived by his wife Shanti.

Under the cover of heavy rocket and mortar fire, Pakistan's Border Action Team (BAT) had sneaked 250 meters across the Line of Control into the Poonch sector in Jammu and Kashmir and beheaded the two soldiers yesterday. The Indian Army has vowed an "appropriate" response to the "despicable act".

Anti-Pakistan protests meanwhile rocked Poonch and Jammu district over the killing.

In Poonch, locals and ex-servicemen shouted anti-Pakistan slogans as the mortal remains of two soldiers were being taken to Jammu.

There have been several BAT attacks in the past in which jawans have been beheaded or their bodies mutilated.

On October 28, 2016, militants attacked a post and killed an Indian army soldier and mutilated his body close to the Line of Control (LoC) in the Machil sector.

In January 2013, Lance Naik Hemraj was killed and his body mutilated by BAT. It also beheaded Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh. Constable Rajinder Singh of the BSF suffered injuries in the attack.

In June 2008, a soldier of the 2/8 Gorkha Rifles lost his way and was captured by BAT in Kel sector. His body was found beheaded after a few days.

During the 1999 Kargil conflict, Captain Saurabh Kalia was tortured by his Pakistani captors who later handed over his mutilated body to India.

In February, 2000, terrorist Ilyas Kashmiri had led a raid on the Indian army's 'Ashok Listening Post' in the Nowshera sector and killed seven Indian soldiers.

Even then, Kashmiri had taken back to Pakistan the head of a 24-year-old Indian jawan Bhausaheb Maruti Talekar of the 17 Maratha Light Infantry.