On Thursday, after performing his slain father’s last rites, his son had some hard questions for the government.
Pakistani troops slit the throat and gouged out the eyes of a Border Security Force jawan along the international border in Ramgarh sector of Jammu, the frontier force said on Wednesday. The incident may further strain the relations between the two countries.
Head Constable Narender Kumar, 50, was part of the BSF patrol which had been sent to the site on Tuesday morning to clear out a thick undergrowth of elephant grass, or sarkanda. He went missing around 10.40 am when Pakistan’s Chenab Rangers opened unprovoked fire at them. His body was brought back to Sonipat, Haryana and his last rites were performed.
On Thursday, after performing his slain father’s last rites, his son had some hard questions for the government. He said that it was a matter of pride, but it wasn’t enough. He demanded action from authorities saying: “It's a matter of pride for us, not everyone gets to be draped in the tricolour. But we just can't keep feeling proud. We are proud today, someone gets killed tomorrow, we will be proud again. We demand action from the authorities.”
Now we're proud but what happens after 2-3 days, when we don't get any help? My brother & I are unemployed. Sole bread-winner, my father, is gone while serving the nation. I want the authority to provide us whatever help we need.”
Kumar’s mutilated bullet-riddled body was recovered from the area by a search party after nine hours. The throat had been cut open and the eye sockets hollowed out. The wounds had oozed blood.
The BSF suspects that under the cover of firing, Pakistan’s Border Action Team (BAT) breached the border and brutalised Kumar before scurrying back.
Constable Kumar, a native of Thana Kala village of Sonipat in Haryana, had joined the BSF in 1990. He is survived by wife Santosh Devi and sons Mohit Kumar and Ankit Kumar.
The torturous killing has evoked a sharp reaction from within the armed forces, and soldiers are calling on the Centre to snap ties with Pakistan.
“Time has come to cut off all ties with Pakistan,” said Anil Gaur, a defence analyst who served the Army as a captain.
A BSF spokesman said that the felled jawan was located with difficulty as the area between the fence and the international boundary is undulating, marshy and thick with sarkanda growth.
With inputs from PTI
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