Viral video of Army striking Pakistani bunkers predates beheadings

NEW DELHI: A video of the Indian Army using anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) and tank shells to destroy a couple of Pakistan army bunkers and posts across the Line of Control went viral on social media on Monday.

Some TV channels erroneously concluded that it was retaliation against the beheading of two Indian soldiers in the Krishna Ghati sector on May 1. Though the video did detail action against Pakistani posts, it was shot much before the beheadings.

Both defence ministry and Army sources clarified that the video was shot in another sector along the LoC much before the Pakistan army's border action team "mutilated" the bodies of Naib Subedar Paramjit Singh and BSF head constable Prem Sagar. In the video, troops are seen first firing Konkurs ATGMs and then following it up with some shells from "infantry tanks" (tanks decommissioned from the armoured corps but used by infantry for firepower in such situations) to completely destroy Pakistani bunkers.

Punjab Regiment soldiers can be heard exulting, "Tank ka shell lag gaya— gira diya, sahib!"

As reported by TOI last week, while the Army has stepped up its cross-border firing to impose some costs on the Pakistan army after May 1, the force will effectively retaliate against the beheadings in a well planned move at "a time and place of its choosing".