Father of Kargil hero moves SC for direction to Centre

The father of a Kargil war hero Capt Saurabh Kalia, who was captured by the Pakistan Army in 1999 and subjected to brutal torture, has moved the Supreme Court seeking its direction to the government to raise his son's case at the International Court of Justice at the Hague.

N K Kalia has alleged that his son Capt Sourav Kalia was captured as a prisoner of war but was killed in a gruesome manner in violation of the Geneva Convention.

The petition filed through advocate Arvind Sharma has alleged that despite making several representations to the government no steps have been taken to raise the brutal killing of Kalia, who was with the 4 Jat Regiment (Infantry), at the ICJ.

"We have made a prayer asking the apex court to direct the government to move the ICJ," Sharma said.

Capt Kalia and five other soldiers of his patrolling team were captured alive on May 15, 1999, and kept in captivity where they were tortured and their bodies mutilated.

Kalia along with five soldiers -- Sepoys Arjun Ram, Bhanwar Lal Bagaria, Bhika Ram, Moola Ram and Naresh Singh of the regiment had gone for a routine patrol of the Bajrang Post in the Kaksar sector in Ladakh.

They were encircled and captured by Pakistani troops. Their mutilated bodies were handed over to the Indian side later.

This was one of the first few incidents in the area which alerted the authorities about the incursion by Pakistani Army regulars in Indian territory.