Soldier inadvertently crossed LoC, report of soldiers killed false: Army sources

An Indian soldier from 37 Rashtriya Rifles "inadvertently crossed over" to the other side of the Line of Control, Army sources said on Thursday but termed as "completely false and baseless" reports in Pakistani media that eight of its soldiers had been killed.

The sources said that Pakistan had been informed on the hotline by the Director General Military Operations Lt Gen Ranbir Singh about the soldier crossing over the Line of Control.

They said that such inadvertent crossing by Army and civilians was not unusual on either side and they are are returned through existing mechanisms.

They said that report of killing of eight Indian Army personnel reported in sections of Pakistan media was completely false and baseless.

Dawn had quoted security sources as saying that Pakistan military had said it had captured an Indian soldier and killed eight others. Dawn later withdrew the story.

The soldier was identified as Chandu Babulal Chohan, 22, from Maharashtra. Dawn said he had been shifted to an undisclosed location.

It said the soldier was caught after the Indian military fired across the Line of Control (LoC).

Dawn said the bodies of the dead Indian soldiers lay unattended at the Line of Control (LoC), which divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

India on Thursday said that it had carried out "surgical strikes" on terrorist launch pads across the LoC, inflicting massive casualties. Pakistan has denied the surgical strikes ever took place.

--IANS

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