Pak attack "highly provocative": Antony

Defence Minister A K Antony said the Indian government will convey to Pakistan its protest against the attack yesterday in the Mendhar sector in Poonch district.

The Indian Director General of Military Operations(DGMO) DGMO will also take up the incident with his Pakistani counterpart, he added.

"Pakistan Army's action is highly provocative. The way they treated the dead bodies of Indian soldiers is inhuman. We will convey our protest to Pakistan government and our DGMO will talk to his counterpart. We are closely following the situation," Antony told reporters.

Pakistani regular soldiers crossed into Indian territory in Poonch sector and ambushed an Indian patrol killing two soldiers, one of whom was decapitated.

Army's Additional Director General (Public Information) Major General S L Narasimhan said yesterday Northern Army Commander Lt Gen K T Parnaik visited the scene of action and confirmed that one of the two bodies was mutilated.

Other sources said the heads of both the Indian soldiers - Lance Naiks, Hemraj and Sudhakar Singh - have been chopped off and one was taken away by Pakistani intruders.

The brutal nature of the attack was a chilling reminder of the brutal attack on Capt Saurabh Kalia and his team by Pakistani troops in Kaksar sector of Kargil during the 1999 conflict.

The attack took place along the Line of Control(LoC) in Poonch district when Pakistanis came about 100 metres into Indian territory and assaulted the patrol party.

Besides killing two, they also injured two other soldiers and took away their weapons and other belongings.