Indian Jawan Who Accidentally Crossed LoC Says He Was Beaten And Tortured By Pak Soldiers

Sepoy Chandu Chavan, who had strayed across the LOC on September 29 last year and was released by Pakistan on January 21, has said that he was severely tortured by Pakistani army officers. His brother Bhushan, an army man himself, told Mumbai Mirror that he was never allowed to sleep, and was kept in a dark room in solitary confinement for the duration of his capture.

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Also Read:Indian Soldier Chandu Chavan Who Inadvertently Crossed LoC To Be Returned, Confirms Pakistan

¡°He said that the first time he saw the light after his capture was when he was brought to the Wagah border on January 21. They would regularly inject him with some drugs, after which he would be interrogated by various officers.¡±

The injections, said Bhushan, would cause Chavan to hallucinate. ¡°He was regularly beaten up, and taken from one army camp to another blindfolded.¡±

According to Bhushan, Chavan suffered from broken fingers and had a ligament tear in his knee. Chavan told his family that he had all but given up hope of being released. And, it was only when his blindfold was opened at the Wagah border, did he realise that he was being handed over to the Indian Army.

¡°He seemed normal, but has suffered psychological trauma and will take some time to recover. He has gone through hell, but doctors have said that the injuries he has suffered will heal in a few days,¡± said the brothers¡¯ grandfather Chinda Patil.

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Following a request from Subhash Bhamre, minister of state for defence, Chavan¡¯s family, including Bhushan and Patil, was allowed to meet him in the presence of army officials for about an hour at the Army Hospital, in Amritsar, on Monday.

¡°I hugged him and we kept crying for a while. He kept asking about our grandmother who had passed away on the day of his capture. My grandfather informed him about her death, and he was shocked and cried,¡± said Bhushan, who relentlessly canvassed for the release of his brother, both in Delhi and on social media.

Chavan was also informed that he was an uncle now, as his sister had given birth to a son two days after his capture. The 22-year-old, who was posted with 37 Rashtriya Rifles battalion, in Mendhar, in Jammu & Kashmir, inadvertently strayed across the LOC on September 29 last year, three days after the Indian Army conducted its surgical strikes on militant camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Also Read:Pakistan To Release Indian Soldier Chandu Chavan Who Crossed Border Last Year

PTI

The soldier had reportedly walked out in a huff with his weapon and crossed the LoC after a tiff with his superior over the sanction of his leave.

Bhushan¡¯s efforts in securing his brother¡¯s release were also aided by high-level Directorate General of Military Operations level talks between India and Pakistan.

Sustained diplomatic pressure by India resulted in Pakistan accepting that Chavan was in their custody on October 7 last year. The sustained efforts finally paid off when Chavan was released earlier this month.