Army chief to visit martyred soldier's family today

Army Chief General Bikram Singh will visit the home of Lance Naik Hemraj who was beheaded by Pakistan army last week amid demands that the head of the soldier be brought back.

The Army chief will visit Khairair in Mathura to meet the family of Lance Naik Hemraj tomorrow morning, Army officials said.

Gen Singh had said he would visit the home of Hemraj, whose family had gone on a six-day fast demanding that his head be brought back from Pakistan.

"I will go there after the Army Day is over. There is no problem in it," the Army chief had said addressing the annual Army Day press conference.

Hemraj and Sudhakar Singh were killed by Pakistani troops on January 8 in Poonch sector in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan Army regulars took away the head of Hemraj as trophy and also mutilated the body of the other soldier.

Gen Singh had also said the Pakistan army should be pressurised to return the Hemraj's head.

"I think we should pressurise them nationally and internationally as part of our national element so that they are made accountable and they are made to return the head of our soldier which they have taken away," Singh had said.

"It will be taken up at the government level and you will have to appreciate that this has to be done through diplomatic channels," he had said.