Indian Soldier Who Crossed Over to Pakistan in 2016 Found Guilty

Chandu Chavan belonged to the 37 Rashtriya Rifles.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@ireddy_sona)

An Indian soldier, who had crossed over to Pakistan during the surgical strikes in 2016 and was handed over to India in January, has been found guilty by an Army court which has recommended nearly three months imprisonment for him.

Official sources told PTI 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 2017, he was handed over to India by Pakistan. In the statement the Pakistani Army said that Chavan’s return to India is a“ gesture of goodwill” aimed at maintaining “peace and tranquility along the LoC.”

After Chavan’s handover he was debriefed and a special medical check-up carried out.

“I am thankful to DGMO and army for the efforts they have made. I am never going to forget this. I am also a soldier and will continue to do my duty with full honesty till my last breath,” he had said upon reaching India.

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.

(With inputs from PTI.)