Soldier beheading: Pak had laid an ambush, India vows response

India today vowed an "appropriate" response to the beheading of two soldiers by Pakistani forces, saying their sacrifice will not go in vain, as political parties came together to condemn the "barbaric act." 

Under the cover of heavy mortar fire, a Pakistani special forces team sneaked 250 metres across the Line of Control (LoC) into the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir and beheaded two Indian security personnel on Monday, officials said.

The Indian army patrol, whose two members were killed, might just have walked into a death trap laid by the enemy, official sources told PTI. The soldiers killed were Naib Subedar Paramjeet Singh of 22 Sikh Infantry and Head Constable Prem Sagar of 200th Battalion of BSF. A BSF constable Rajinder Singh was injured but is out of danger.

The incident occurred when a joint team of the army and BSF had gone to check the veracity of an intelligence report that landmines had been planted by Pakistani troops on the Indian side.

As they were looking for landmines, the patrol was taken by surprise by Pakistan's Border Action Team (BAT) that had laid an ambush over 250 metres deep inside the Indian territory.

The Indian Army has vowed an "appropriate" response to the "despicable act", which significantly took place a day after Pakistan army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa visited some areas along the LoC and promised support to the Kashmiris.

As the incident sparked an outrage, a BJP MP R K Singh demanded a tit-for-tat response. The Pakistan Army has denied mutilating the bodies of the two Indian security personnel.

"Such despicable act of Pakistan Army will be appropriately responded," the Indian Army said in a press statement after the soldiers were killed by Pakistani forces in an attack across the Line of Control(LoC) and their bodies mutilated. 

Describing the mutilation as an extreme form of barbaric act, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said the whole country has full confidence and faith in its armed forces and that the sacrifice of the two soldiers will not go in vain. 

"The Government of India strongly condemns this act and the whole country has full confidence and faith in our armed forces which will react appropriately to this inhuman act. The sacrifice of these two soldiers will not go in vain," Jaitley said. 

"This is a reprehensible and an inhuman act. Such attacks don't even take place during war, let alone during peace time." 

R K Singh, a former Union home secretary, said, "Pakistan understands only one language and therefore we need to kill more Pakistani soldiers and give them the same treatment." 

Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, by engaging in such action, Pakistan was scripting its own destruction. 

The Congress said such cowardly acts are unacceptable in a civilised society and are not conducive to the neighbouring country's own interests and security. "We condemn what Pakistan did. It must stop terrorism and realise that these actions are unacceptable in a civilised world. 

"It deserves to be condemned firmly and Pakistan must realise that these actions are unacceptable in the civilized society and they are not conducive to Pakistan's own interest, its own security and the welfare of its people," Congress' spokesperson Anand Sharma said.

BJP's national spokesperson Nalin Kohli said it appears that "inhumanity and barbarism" has become the norm in Pakistan. 

"This act will not go unpunished as under Prime Minister Narendra Modi the army has not been restrained from responding to Pakistan's unprovoked ceasefire violations," he said. 

CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury condemned Pakistan but added that the government should set its own house in order first and not let such incidents happen. 

Yechury said such action by Pakistan's special forces should not be tolerated, but added,"we should also not give them the opportunity for such things to happen. We need to set our own house in order.