The line of control which lies between the Indian and Pakistani controlled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir is the de facto boundary which is generally respected by both sides. Indian and Pakistani troops have on occasion tried to alter the areas under their control in large scale operations. There have also been punitive expeditions across the border.
Acts of brutality and mutilation are a regular occurrence along the Line of Control. Armed teams of soldiers and militants are known to cross the border, outnumber a post and inflict heavy casualties and utilize beheading as an act of humiliation. Both sides have blamed each other for carrying out such cross-border attacks and denied their participation in such raids.[1] [2]
Lt. Gen. H. S. Panag, a former Indian army general, states that the Indian military usually used to conceal the incidents of beheading of Indian soldiers. However, nowadays it is becoming increasing difficult to conceal these incidents as soldiers and even porters working at military post have mobile phones.[1] Indian media reports that from 1998 to 2003, Pakistan military conducted around 21 raids in Indian territories. Around 41 Indian soldiers were killed and 76 were injured in those raids.[3]
Since 2021, India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire[4] and such incidents have not been reported since.
| Incident | Date | Description | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operation Meghdoot | 13 April 1984 | India successfully occupied all of the Siachen Glacier. | India received intelligence that Pakistan was planning to occupy the Siachen glacier [5] and executed an operation to deny the territory. This sparked a confrontation which has continued ever since. | |
| The Kargil War | May–July 1999 | Pakistan tried to occupy territory which was under de facto control of India. | Pakistani soldiers and Kashmiri militants infiltrated into positions on the Indian side of the LOC,[6] in an attempt to occupy strategic peaks. | |
| Chamb raid | 22 January 2000 | Indian soldiers attack Pakistani post in Chamb sector. | Indian soldiers attacked a Pakistan Army post after midnight from three directions in the Iftikharabad sub-sector in the Chamb area. Seven Pakistani soldiers were captured and killed in the attack which was seen as a retaliation for the loss of Lt.Saurabh Kalia and 4 soldiers of 4 jat.[7] [8] | |
| Ashok Listening Post attack | 27 February 2000 | Pakistani Soldiers attacked an Indian Post. | The Pakistani Special Services Group (SSG) conducted an operation in which 7 soldiers of the 17 Maratha Light Infantry manning the post were killed, and a soldier by the name of Bhausaheb Maruti Talekar was beheaded. His head was taken back to Pakistan as a trophy.[9] | |
| Attack on Indian military listening post in Poonch sector | August 2000 | Pakistan's special forces attack an Indian military post. | Pakistan's special forces conducted an attack on an Indian military post in Poonch sector, killing three Indian soldiers and injuring seven others. Indian officials believe that the attack was in retaliation against an Indian army attack on a Pakistani post in Chamb. | |
| Akbar post raid | August 2000 | Indian soldiers raided a Pakistani post | An officer and thirteen soldiers of the Pakistani army were killed in a raid carried out by Indian troops following the end of the Kargil War. The slain officer was the son of a high ranking officer in Pakistani army.[10] | |
| Attack on Indian military listening post in Uri sector of Baramulla district | February 2003 | Pakistan's Border Action Team (BAT) attacked an Indian post. | Pakistan's Border Action Team conducted a raid on an Indian army listening post in the Uri sector of the Baramulla district. Around four Indian soldiers were killed.[11] | |
| Pakistani post near Bhimber Gali in Poonch attacked. | 18 September 2003 | Indian soldiers attacked Pakistani post. | A JCO and three soldiers were killed in the attack. One soldier was allegedly decapitated, and his head was carried off as a trophy. Pakistan Lodged a complaint with the UNMOGIP.[12] | |
| Kranti post near Salhotri village in Poonch was attacked. | 5 June 2008 | Pakistani soldiers attacked Indian post. | A soldier in the 2-8 Gurkha Regiment, Jawashwar Chhame, was killed. | |
| Pakistani post near Bhattal sector in Poonch attacked. | 19 June 2008 | Indian soldiers attacked Pakistani post. | Pakistan lodged a complaint with the UNMOGIP that Indian troops entered into Pakistan administered Kashmir, beheaded a soldier, and carried his head across. Four Pakistani soldiers allegedly died in the raid. | |
| Indian army post in Gugaldhar ridge in Kupwara attacked | 30 July 2011 | Pakistan's Border Action Team (BAT) conducted the attack across the LoC | Pakistan's Border Action Team (BAT) attacked an Indian military post in Kupwara, killing 6 Indian soldiers belonging to 19 Rajput battalion and 20 Kumaon battalion. Two Indian soldiers of 20 Kumaon Regiment were beheaded by Pakistani Border Action Team (BAT) troops. Their heads were taken as a trophy. The attacking team took back the heads of Havildar Jaipal Singh Adhikari and Lance Naik Devender Singh of 20 Kumaon.[13] | |
| Operation Ginger Sharda sector, across the Neelam river valley in Kel. | 29 August 2011 | Indian para commandos conducted a covert strike across the border | Pakistani soldiers Subedar Parvez, Havildar Aftab and Naik Imran were beheaded, and their heads and rank insignias brought to India.[14] Pakistan complained to the UNMOGIP that three soldiers, including a JCO were killed. | |
| Beheading of Lance Naik Hemraj | 8 January 2013 | Pakistani soldiers crossed the LoC and ambushed Indian soldiers. | Lance Naik Hemraj and Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh were killed. Indian officials claimed that both bodies were mutilated, and that Hemraj was decapitated.[15] Indian troops failed to recover the head even after a search of the area. India believes the Pakistanis took the head of Hemraj when they retreated.[16] [17] [18] [19] | |
| Sarla post of Indian Army in Chakandabad Bagh area of Poonch sector | 6 August 2013 | Pakistani Border Action Team ambushed an Indian Army demolition patrol | Indian officials claimed that 20 armed militants, along with Pakistani Army soldiers, carried out an ambush and killed 5 soldiers of the 21 Bihar. Pakistani officials denied any involvement in the incident.[20] [21] [22] [23] | |
| 2016 India–Pakistan military confrontation | 28 September 2016 | Indian Para commandos stuck multiple terrorist launch pads along the LoC | India conducted "surgical strikes" against alleged militant launch pads across the Line of Control in Pakistani-Administered Kashmir, and inflicted "significant casualties".[24] Indian media reported the casualty figures variously, from 35 to 50.[25] [26] [27] Pakistan denied Indian claims.[28] | |
| Indian patrol attacked in Krishna Gati sector of Poonch district | 2 May 2017 | Pakistan Border Action Team (BAT) ambushed an Indian patrol along the LoC | India claimed that a Border Action Team (BAT) of the Pakistan Army ambushed a patrol of about 9-10 soldiers from the 22 Sikh Regiment of the Indian Army and 200 battalion of the Border Security Force. The ambush took place about 200–250 metres deep inside Indian territory, and bodies of two soldiers were mutilated.[29] [30] [31] [32] | |
| Indian army patrol party attacked in Keri sector | 23 December 2017 | Pakistan border Action Team (BAT) attacked Indian patrol party | India claimed that a Border Action Team (BAT) of the Pakistan Army crossed 400m across the LoC to target a patrol party of the Indian Army. The attack resulted in the death of 4 Indian soldiers, including a major.[33] [34] [35] | |
| Pakistani patrol attacked at a temporary post in Rukh Chakri sector in Rawlakot | 25 December 2017 | Ghatak commandos ambushed a Pakistani patrol at a temporary post | India claimed that a team of 4–5 Ghatak commandos of Poonch Brigade under 25 Division crossed over about 200–300m across the LoC and attacked a Pakistani patrol consisting of 8–10 men in a retaliatory strike. The Indian commandos placed an IED at a temporary post and killed 3 soldiers, 1 major and 2 soldiers, and injured 1 soldier of the 59 Baloch regiment. Pakistan Foreign office denied that Indians had crossed the LoC, and claimed that 3 soldiers had died and 1 injured in response to an IED blast caused by "non-state actors".[36] [37] [38] | |
| Indian army team attacked along International border (IB) | 28 September 2018 | Border action team (BAT) attack Indian soldiers | A Pakistani military post attacked an Indian military team near the international border. As a result, the team retreated and later realized that 1 of its soldiers was missing. The missing soldier was later found dead. Indian military officials claim that the missing soldier was killed by the Border Action Team (BAT), which had crossed the border to attack the Indian soldiers.[39] [40] [41] | |
| Operation Swift Retort | 27 February 2019 | Pakistan Air Force conducted six airstrikes in Indian Administered Kashmir | The Pakistan Air Force launched six airstrikes on targets across Indian held Kashmir, including a brigade headquarters. Pakistan released targeting footage and stated to avoid loss of lives it narrowly missed the targets on purpose, with the strikes being done purely as a show of strength. In the subsequent aerial battle, one Indian aircraft was confirmed to have been shot down and one other Indian aircraft lost to friendly-fire, with Pakistan taking no confirmed losses.[42] [43] The Indian Airforce claimed to have shot down an F-16, which Pakistan denied. [44] [45] [46] |