Journalism of Courage
On the day India marked two years of the surgical strike against terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, outgoing Border Security Force Director General K K Sharma, referring to the September 18 killing of BSF head constable Narender Singh by a Pakistan border action team, said “we have taken sufficient action along the LoC to avenge the death of our soldier”.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi Friday, the BSF chief did not go into details of the “sufficient action”. And in Muzaffarnagar, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh too said: “Something has happened, I won’t say what… just two-three days ago.”
In a video uploaded by NDTV on its website, Rajnath Singh can be heard saying: “Kuchh hua hai. Main bataunga nahin. Batlaya bhi nahin. Hua hai, aur theek-thaak hua hai. Vishwas rakhna, theek-thaak hua hai 2-3 din pehle… aur aage bhi dekhiyega kya hoga (Something has happened, I won’t say what. Didn’t declare it. It has happened, it has gone well. Have faith, it has gone well, just two-three days ago… see what happens ahead).”
Providing details on the killing of the BSF head constable by a Pakistan border action team (BAT), Sharma said Narender Singh was shot three times on the chest and dragged to the other side of the fence. His feet were tied and the throat slit. But the body, he said, was not mutilated and the cause of death was due to bullet injuries.
“The gun and ammunition of the jawan, who went ahead of the fence in Jammu’s Ramgarh sector along with seven other personnel, were taken away. This incident is a first of its kind because generally, on the International Border (IB), you don’t have BAT action. This was BAT action.”
Sharma said some counter-action has already been taken along the LoC. “We have taken sufficient action along the LoC to avenge the death of our soldier. We have reserved our right of retaliation and time. We have given tough and befitting replies, causing manifold damage. And we will do it again,” he said.
He said the day the BAT incident took place, the BSF noticed that the other side had emptied. “They were nowhere in sight. They also got their villages vacated, thinking we will hit them. So, even if we had retaliated, it would not have been of any use at that time,” he said.
