Army vows revenge after Pakistan's Border Action Team brutally mutilates Indian soldier

New Delhi: Three Indian soldiers were killed and body of one of them was mutilated by Pakistan’s Border Action Team near the Line of Control in J&K's Machil Sector. The Indian Army has vowed revenge, saying "the cowardly incident will be responded to appropriately." The Indian soldiers were killed in a cross border firing with Pakistan's BAT which consists of terrorists and Pakistan Army regulars. "The cowardly act of mutilating the body of one of the Indian soldiers had all the signatures of a BAT (Border Action Team) operation by Pakistan army using terrorists and its soldiers". "3 soldiers killed in action on LC in Machhil . Body of one soldier mutilated, retribution will be heavy for this cowardly act," the Northern Command said. After the Indian surgical strike in September end, Pakistan appears to be baffled and is resorting to unlawful firing and shelling in the civilian areas. Pakistan has continuously violated ceasefire since the surgical strike and is being given a befitting reply by the Indian forces. This is for the second time in a month Pakistan has mutilated the bodies of Indian soldiers. Last month, Sepoy Mandeep Singh, who was killed in the gunfight with the infiltrators, was beheaded by the terrorists who fled back to Pakistan-administered Kashmir under covering fire from Pakistan Army. During the Kargil war in 1999, Captain Saurabh Kalia, Sepoys Arjunram Baswana, Mula Ram Bidiasar, Naresh Singh Sinsinwar, Bhanwar Lal Bagaria and Bhika Ram Mudh of 4 Jat Regiment were captured by Pakistani troops and brutally tortured. The soldiers had their ear drums pierced with hot iron rods, eyes punctured and genitals cut off. The autopsy of the bodies also revealed that they were burned with cigarettes butts. Their limbs were also chopped off, teeth broken and skull fractured during the torture. Even their nose and lips were sliced off. In another incident, on January 8, 2013, Pakistani soldiers entered Indian territory in Krishna Ghati sector of the border and killed two Indian soldiers - Lance Naik Hemraj and Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh. Indian officials said both the bodies were mutilated, and Hemraj's body was decapitated. Just before retiring, former army chief General Bikram Singh, who headed the Indian Army when the incident happened, had said India gave a "befitting reply". General Dalbir Singh, just after taking over as the Army chief, had then said if a similar incident occurred the Indian Army's response "will be more than adequate in future". Article 4 of the Third Geneva Convention protects captured military personnel, some guerrilla fighters, and certain civilians. It applies from the moment a prisoner is captured until he or she is released or repatriated. One of the main provisions of the convention makes it illegal to torture prisoners, and states that a prisoner can only be required to give his name, date of birth, rank and service number if applicable. (With additional information from IANS)