A military helicopter with Indian Army Commander (Northern Command) Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh on board made a forced landing in Kashmir’s Poonch District, very close to Pakistan’s border with India, the Indian Army said on Thursday.
Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh, the Director General of Military Operation in India, who had carried out cross-border strikes in Pakistan-administered Kashmir in February, was one of the seven members on board.
All were rescued successfully. Though the Indian Army claimed it was a forced landing, concerns are being raised over the nature of landing as the pictures show that the chopper was severely damaged.
Singh, along with other members, was said to be on his way to review security situation in the Poonch sector, where both India and Pakistan are indulged in sporadic exchanges of fire.
Reports say two Pakistani civilians lost their lives in heavy shelling carried out by the Indian Army at the border.
Tensions between India and Pakistan in the disputed region escalated in August, when New Delhi revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and boosted its military presence in the region.
Following the move, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan accused his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi of violating human rights and suspended diplomatic and trade relations with New Delhi.
The Kashmir issue dates to 1947 when both countries became independent from the British Empire and both claimed the region as their territory, leading to several armed conflicts between the two nations.