Pakistan's Border Action Team Suspected Of Beheading Indian Porter, First Such Civilian Brutality

Pakistan's Border Action Team (BAT) is suspected of killing and beheading an Indian a porter on Friday, January 10.

Porter Mohammad Aslam, 28, was among two civilians killed along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district. Officials in Jammu said his body was badly mutilated and his head was missing.

Cases of soldiers being beheaded by the Pakistani army have come forward in the past but this is the first time the BAT, which comprises of Pakistani army personnel and terrorists, has beheaded any civilian.

On January 11, Army Chief Gen M M Naravane said that professional armies never resort to such "barbaric" acts and they "will deal appropriately with such situations in a military manner".

Initially, a defence spokesman had claimed a mortar shell killed Aslam and Altaf Hussain (23), both residents of Kassalian village of Gulpur sector when a group of Army porters carrying logistics for the troops were targeted Pakistani Army. He also said that three others were injured in the attack.

Later, however, the head of Aslam was found missing and is believed to have been taken away by the BAT.

"The body of Aslam was headless when handed over to the police for completion of legal formalities. The bodies of both the porters were handed over to their families and their last rites were conducted in their village on Friday evening," India Today quoted a police officer as saying.

The injured porters — Mohammad Saleem (24), Mohammad Showkat (28) and Nawaz Ahmad (35) – are "stable" and are being treated at a hospital.

Strongly condemning the killings, the opposition Congress questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for being "silent" on the "barbarism" by Pakistan.

Hitting out at Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said, "When the UPA was in power, two such inhuman acts (the beheading of jawans) by Pakistan were questioned by BJP and Narendra Modi termed it a weak government. Several such shameful mischiefs were done by Pakistan and Modi government should explain why it failed to take effective action to check Pakistan?"

"Now it is the time for the present government to decide the future course of action to take back our territory," he said.

Also Read: Karnataka's Third Beheading In A Month: Man Walks Into Police Station With A Head