Injustice to Indian soldiers

Lt. Saurabh Kalia of 4 JAT Regiment of the Indian Army laid down his
life at the young age of 22 for the nation while guarding the frontiers
at Kargil. His parents, indeed the Indian Army and nation itself, lost
a dedicated, honest and brave son. He was the first officer to detect and
inform about Pakistani intrusion. Pakistan captured him and his patrol
party of 5 brave men alive on May 15, 1999 from the Indian side of LOC.

They were kept in captivity for three weeks and subjected to
unprecedented brutal torture, evident from their bodies handed over by
Pakistan Army on June 9, 1999. The Pakistanis indulged in dastardly acts of
inflicting burns on the Indians with cigarettes, piercing their ears
with hot rods, removing their eyes after puncturing them and breaking
most of the bones and teeth. They even chopped off various limbs and private
organs of the Indian soldiers besides inflicting unimaginable physical
and mental torture.

After 22 days of torture, the brave soldiers were ultimately shot dead.
A detailed post-mortem report is with the Indian Army. Pakistan dared
to humiliate India this way flouting all international norms. They
proved the extent to which they can degrade humanity. However, the
Indian soldiers did not break while undergoing all this unimaginable
barbarism, which speaks volumes of their patriotism, grit, determination, tenacity and valour - something all of India should be proud of. Sacrificing
oneself for the nation is an honou! r every soldier would be proud of,
but no parent, army or nation can accept what happened to these brave sons
of India. I am afraid every parent may think twice to send their child
in the armed forces if we all fall short of our duty in safeguar d! ing
the PRISONERS OF WAR AND LET THEM MEET THE FATE OF LT. SAURABH KALIA.
It may also send a demoralizing signal to the army personnel fighting
for the Nation that our POWs in Pak cannot be taken care of. It is a matter of shame and disgust that most of Indian Human Rights Organisations by and large, showed apathy in this matter. Through this humble submission, may I appeal to all the civilized people irrespective of colour, caste, region, religion and political lineage to stir their conscience and rise to take this as a NATIONAL ISSUE.

International Human Rights Organisations must be approached to expose
and pressure Pakistan to identify, book and punish all those who
perpetrated this heinous crime to our men in uniform. If Pakistan is
allowed to go unpunished in this case, we can imagine the consequences. Below
is the list of 5 other soldiers who preferred to die for the country
rather than open their mouths in front of enemy.

1. Sep. Arjun Ram s/o Sh. Cho k! ka Ram; Village & PO Gudi. Teh. &
Dist.Nagaur, (Rajasthan)
2. Sep. Bhanwar Lal Bagaria h/o Smt. Santosh Devi; Village
Sivelara;Teh.& Dist. Sikar (Rajasthan)
3. Sep. Bhikaram h/o Smt. Bhawri Devi; Village Patasar; Teh. Pachpatva;
Distt. Barmer (Rajasthan)
4. Sep. Moola Ram h/o Smt. Rameshwari Devi; Village Katori; Teh. Jayal;
Dist. Nagaur (Rajasthan)
5. Sep. Naresh Singh h/o Smt. Kalpana Devi; Village Chhoti Tallam;
Teh.Iglas; Dist.Aligarh (UP)

Yours truly,
Dr. N.K. Kalia (Lt. Saurabh Kalia's father).
Saurabh Nagar,
Palampur-176061 Himachal Pradesh

Remember, Lt Kalia and his colleagues died on the front so that we
could sleep peacefully in our home.