Indian soldier who strayed across LoC during surgical strikes found guilty

New Delhi: An Indian soldier, who had crossed over to Pakistan during the surgical strikes last year and was handed over to India in January by that country, has been found guilty by an Army court which has recommended nearly three months imprisonment for him.

Official sources said that the Army court sentenced Chandu Babulal Chavan to nearly three months in prison but the quantum of punishment is yet to be approved by appropriate authorities. Sepoy Babulal Chavan was tried by a General Court Martial and he has pleaded guilty, they said.

Chavan can appeal against his sentence. Chavan, posted with 37 Rashtriya Rifles, had mistakenly crossed the boundary in Kashmir hours after India’s surgical strikes on terrorist bases across the LoC in September last year. In January, he was handed over to India by Pakistan. Chavan belongs to Borvihir village in Dhule district of Maharashtra. His grandmother had died of shock following the news of his capture by Pakistani troops.