Two soldiers lose their lives in an attack by Pakistan Army

BATTLE \\ The distraught father of Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh, who was one of the soldiers killed in an attack by Pakistan Army across the LoC, wants the leaders of his country to give a “befitting reply” to the neighbouring nation for the “dastardly act”. Lance Naiks Sudhakar Singh and Hemraj were killed in a raid conducted by the 29 Baloch Regiment troops of Pakistan who had intruded into the Indian territory at the Poonch sector on January 8, 2013. The bodies of the soldiers were mutilated. “The government should respond to the dastardly act by the enemy (Pakistan Army) in a fitting manner. That will be the real tribute to my martyred son,” said Lance Naik Sudharkar Singh’s father, Sachchidanand Singh, after the cremation of his son. “Hamari iccha hai ki dushman ka datkar muqabla karke usko usi ki bhasha mein jawab dena chahiye (We want that the enemy should be dealt with in a befitting manner),” said he. Singh hails from Dadia village in Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh. “Sudhakar was our strength and was supposed to come to the village between February 15 and 16, but now everything is lost,” Singh said. The 30-year-old deceased soldier, the youngest of four siblings, had joined the Indian Army on April 7, 2002. He is survived by his wife and four-month-old son Bhaskar. When asked whether he was satisfied with the Government of India’s response on the issue, Singh said the government has its own responsibilities, but this situation “demanded an equally befitting action.” The martyred soldier’s cousin, Prem Singh, said Sudhakar’s father-in-law was also a retired army man and despite losing his son-in-law, he wants his grandson to join the Indian Army. Fully supporting the views of the grief-stricken father, Professor Kailash Tyagi, from government-run MVM College in Bhopal, who is also the PhD guide of former Army chief, General V.K. Singh, said, “It is not advisable to remain defensive beyond a point, as it leads to cowardliness.” “After all, for how long? Defensive responses on serious issues like this result in demoralisation of forces,” said Tyagi, who teaches Defence and Strategic Studies. He said the issue was being debated by his students (under-graduate and post-graduate), who were “angry over the brutal killing of the soldiers”. A retired Lieutenant-General based in Mhow, on condition of anonymity, said, “You cannot expect anything from the government. The Indian Army should deal with the situation," he added. Cross border trade along the Line of Control was halted after some 25 fully-loaded Indian trucks were not allowed to unload at the Chakan Da Bagh crossing at Poonch. Later, more instances of firing were reported along the border.