Funeral of two Maharashtra soldiers on Saturday

The funeral of two Indian Army soldiers from Maharashtra, who were killed by a Pakistani BAT team on the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir, will be held at their respective native villages on Saturday, a defence spokesperson said on Friday.

Naik Jadhav Sandip Sarjerao, 35, of Aurangabad and Sepoy Mane Savan Balku, 25, of Kolhapur were killed on Thursday on the Line of Control in Chakan da Bagh sector in Poonch district.

Their bodies were flown from Jammu around 5.30 p.m. on Friday and were to reach Aurangabad and Pune. The mortal remains will be kept in local morgues before sending them to their respective villages, the spokesperson said.

Jadhav, who was in the Army for 15 years, hailed from Kelgaon village in Sillod sub-district of Aurangabad and is survived by his wife Ujala.

Mane, serving the Army for four years, hailed from Gogave village in Sahuwadi sub-district of Kolhapur and is survived by his mother Shobha Mane.

Pakistan's Border Action Teams (BAT) comprise heavily armed terrorists, supported by the country's Army. The BAT teams cross into Indian side of the LoC while the Pakistan Army engages the Indian troops in cross-border firing to facilitate BAT actions.

Defence Ministry sources said on Thursday that the Pakistan Army indulged in unprovoked firing and shelling at Indian positions with small arms, automatics and mortars. Indian troops effectively retaliated, he said.

On May 1, an Indian soldier and a BSF trooper were killed and their bodies mutilated near the LoC, in Jammu and Kashmir, in an action which the Indian Army said was carried out by a Pakistani BAT team inside Indian territory.

The dead were Naib Subedar Paramjit Singh of 22 Sikh Regiment and Head Constable Prem Sagar of the Border Security Force.

--IANS

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