MEA will take cognizance, nothing more atrocious than this: Centre on jawan's mutilation by terrorists

With the body of an Indian Army soldier being brutally mutilated by Pakistani terrorists in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre on Saturday assured that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) will take cognisance of this development, while adding that nothing could be more atrocious than this disturbing development.

"Nothing can be more atrocious than this. The human rights of soldiers should enjoy precedence over the human rights of anybody else. The longer Pakistan continues to be in denial mode the more it harms itself. We are confident that our defence forces and our government is capable of responding to any kind of threat on the borders and internally," Minister of State (MoS) Jitendra Singh said.

Speaking to ANI here, the Union Minister stated that the barbaric killing of the army jawan is an eye opener for all those who keep raising the bogey of human rights, especially in Kashmir and added that the MEA and the Defence Ministry will take cognisance of the sequence of events.

"The entire nation is angered with this development. The menace of terrorism, which has been unleashed on the soil of Pakistan is going to sooner or later devour and consume the perpetrators itself," Singh said.

Stressing that these are 'acts of cowardice' which are happening at a time of desperation on the part of Pakistan, Singh further said that the positive side of this is that the people living on the borders are on a high morale and are more concerned with thwarting the designs of the enemy, rather than be concerned about their own safety.

The Indian Army on Friday promised retribution after a jawan was mutilated by a terrorist in an encounter near the Line of Control in Macchil sector of Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir.

The terrorists mutilated the jawan's body, apparently beheading him, before fleeing back into Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir under the cover of firing provided by the Pakistan Army.

"One militant was also killed in the gun-battle. But the despicable act of mutilating the jawan's body reflects the barbarism pervading in official and unofficial organisations in Pakistan," said the Army spokesperson in Srinagar.

"The terrorists managed to escape due to the covering fire provided to them from the Pakistan Army posts. The incident will be responded to appropriately," he added. The soldier was identified as Manjeet Singh of 17 Sikh Light Infantry.