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	* {{Cite book\|last=Singh\|first=Mohinder\|title=Punjab 2000: Political and Socio-economic Developments\|date=2001\|publisher=Anamika Publishers & Distributors\|isbn=978-81-86565-90-2\|language=en}}		* {{Cite book\|last=Singh\|first=Mohinder\|title=Punjab 2000: Political and Socio-economic Developments\|date=2001\|publisher=Anamika Publishers & Distributors\|isbn=978-81-86565-90-2\|language=en}}
	* {{Cite book\|last=Dwivedi\|first=Diksha\|title=Letters from Kargil: The war through our soldier's eyes\|date=2017\|publisher=Juggernaut Books\|isbn=978-93-86228-43-7\|language=en}}		* {{Cite book\|last=Dwivedi\|first=Diksha\|title=Letters from Kargil: The war through our soldier's eyes\|date=2017\|publisher=Juggernaut Books\|isbn=978-93-86228-43-7\|language=en}}
	~~{{Portal bar\|Biography\|India\|Military}}~~{{Military of India}}		{{Military of India}}
	{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalia, Saurabh}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalia, Saurabh}}
	[[Category:Indian Army officers]]		[[Category:Indian Army officers]]

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	'''Saurabh Kalia''' ({{IPA-pa\|saurabha kālī'ā}}; {{Birth date\|1976\|6\|29\|df=y}} – {{Death date\|1999\|6\|9\|df=y}}) was an [[Officer (armed forces)\|officer]] of the [[Indian Army]] who was killed during the [[Kargil War]] while being held as a [[prisoner of war]] by the [[Pakistan Army]]. He and five soldiers in his patrol group were captured by Pakistani troops following a gunfight at the [[Line of Control]] and allegedly tortured prior to their execution; the [[Government of Pakistan]] has rejected all allegations of Indian military personnel being tortured while in Pakistani custody.		'''Saurabh Kalia''' ({{IPA-pa\|saurabha kālī'ā}}; {{Birth date\|1976\|6\|29\|df=y}} – {{Death date\|1999\|6\|9\|df=y}}) was an [[Officer (armed forces)\|officer]] of the [[Indian Army]] who was killed during the [[Kargil War]] while being held as a [[prisoner of war]] by the [[Pakistan Army]]. He and five soldiers in his patrol group were captured by Pakistani troops following a gunfight at the [[Line of Control]] and allegedly tortured prior to their execution; the [[Government of Pakistan]] has rejected all allegations of Indian military personnel being tortured while in Pakistani custody.

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{{Short description|Indian Army officer killed during the 1999 Kargil War}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = [[Captain (armed forces)|Captain]]
| name = Saurabh Kalia
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1976|6|29}}
| birth_place = [[Amritsar]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], India
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1999|6|9|1976|6|30}}
| death_place = [[Kargil district|Kargil]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] (now [[Ladakh]]), India
| image = Skalia.jpg
| caption = Kalia in 1998
| allegiance = {{flagdeco|India}} [[India|Republic of India]]
| branch = {{army|India}}
| serviceyears = 1998–1999
| rank = [[File:Captain of the Indian Army.svg|15px]] [[Army ranks and insignia of India|Captain]]
| unit = {{flagicon image|Flag of Indian Army.svg|link=}} [[Jat Regiment|4 Jat]]
| battles = [[Kargil War]]{{POW}}{{Executed}}
}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}

'''Saurabh Kalia''' ({{IPA-pa|saurabha kālī'ā}}; {{Birth date|1976|6|29|df=y}} – {{Death date|1999|6|9|df=y}}) was an [[Officer (armed forces)|officer]] of the [[Indian Army]] who was killed during the [[Kargil War]] while being held as a [[prisoner of war]] by the [[Pakistan Army]]. He and five soldiers in his patrol group were captured by Pakistani troops following a gunfight at the [[Line of Control]] and allegedly tortured prior to their execution; the [[Government of Pakistan]] has rejected all allegations of Indian military personnel being tortured while in Pakistani custody.

==Early years==
Saurabh Kalia was born on 29 June 1976 in [[Amritsar]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], [[India]],<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=July 26, 2019 |title=Capt Saurabh Kalia: Story of first Kargil martyr|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/capt-saurabh-kalia-story-of-first-kargil-martyr-1573838-2019-07-26|access-date=2021-07-14|magazine=India Today|language=en}}</ref> to Vijaya and N. K. Kalia.<ref name=hindu_parent>{{cite news|title=Saurabh Kalia's parents waging a lone battle to highlight war crimes|url=http://www.hindu.com/2009/07/06/stories/2009070655650700.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090713030728/http://www.hindu.com/2009/07/06/stories/2009070655650700.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 July 2009|access-date=29 March 2012|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=6 July 2022}}</ref> He attended D. A. V. Public School in [[Palampur, Himachal Pradesh|Palampur]], [[Himachal Pradesh]], and then graduated from [[Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University]] in 1997 with a First-Class [[Bachelor of Medical Sciences|BSc-Med]] degree.{{Sfn|Bisht|2019|p=98}} He won various scholarships throughout his academic career.<ref>[http://www.hpkangra.nic.in/warriors.htm##kalia Lt. Saurabh Kalia] www.hpkangra.nic.in {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070418093930/http://www.hpkangra.nic.in/warriors.htm#kalia |date=18 April 2007 }}</ref>{{dubious|reason=hagiographic and clearly making guesses -see talk|date=March 2022}}

==Military career==
Kalia was selected for the [[Indian Military Academy]] in August 1997 through the [[Combined Defence Services Examination]] and was [[Officer (armed forces)#Commissioned officers|commissioned]] on 12 December 1998. He was posted to the 4th battalion [[Jat Regiment]] in the [[Kargil district|Kargil]] Sector, where he arrived in mid-January 1999 after reporting at the Jat Regimental Centre, [[Bareilly]], on 31 December 1998.{{Sfn|Bisht|2019|p=101}}

==Kargil war==
In the first two weeks of May 1999, several patrols were conducted in the Kaksar Langpa area of [[Kargil district]] to see if snow had receded enough for the area to be re-occupied.{{Sfn|Dwivedi|2017|p=173}} Kalia, who then held the rank of lieutenant, was the first Indian army officer to observe and report large-scale intrusion of Pakistani Army and foreign mercenaries on the Indian side of the [[Line of Control]] (LoC) at Kargil. He assumed guard of Bajrang Post at 13,000–14,000 feet to check infiltration in the Kaksar area.{{Sfn|Dwivedi|2017|p=174}}

On 15 May 1999, Kalia and five other soldiers – [[Sepoy]]s Arjun Ram, Bhanwar Lal Bagaria, Bhika Ram, Moola Ram and Naresh Singh<ref name=ministry_record99/> of the 4th Jat Regiment - were on a routine patrol of the Bajrang Post in the Kaksar sector in the [[Ladakh]] mountains when they engaged in a firefight with Pakistani forces across the LOC. The patrol out of ammunition, were encircled by a platoon of Pakistani rangers, and captured before Indian reinforcements could reach them. Radio [[Skardu]] of Pakistan announced the capture.<ref name=hindu_parent/><ref name=frontline>{{cite news|title=War in Kargil|url=http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1612/16120040.htm|access-date=29 March 2012|newspaper=Frontline, [[The Hindu]]|date= 5–18 June 1999}}</ref><ref name=independent>{{cite news|title=Pakistan 'tortured Indians to death'|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/pakistan-tortured-indians-to-death-1099605.html|access-date=29 March 2012|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date=12 June 1999}}</ref>

Indian officials claimed that Kalia and his men were in captivity from 15 May 1999 – 7 June 1999 and were subjected to torture. They said the torture was evident from injuries to their bodies when they were handed over by the Pakistani Army on 9 June 1999.<ref name=hindu_parent/> [[Post-mortem]] examinations conducted by India reported that the prisoners variously had [[cigarette burns]], ear-drums pierced with hot rods, many broken teeth and bones, fractured skulls, eyes that had been punctured before being removed, cut lips, chipped noses, and amputated limbs and genitalia. According to the examinations, these injuries preceded the captives being shot dead in the head.<ref>{{cite news |title=History in golden letters? |url=http://www.tehelka.com/story_main10.asp?filename=Cr021205History.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311201159/http://www.tehelka.com/story_main10.asp?filename=Cr021205History.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 March 2007 |access-date=29 March 2012 |newspaper=tehelka.com |date=12 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=sify_remember>{{cite web |title=Is this how we should remember Kargil? |url=http://www.sify.com/news/is-this-how-we-should-remember-kargil-news-columns-khycdhdjfij.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100727035051/http://sify.com/news/is-this-how-we-should-remember-kargil-news-columns-khycdhdjfij.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 July 2010 |publisher=Sify News |access-date=29 March 2022}}</ref><ref name=hillpost/>{{deadlink|date=March 2022}}<ref name=independent/> However, ''[[The Guardian]]'' noted that there was no independent international observer at the post-mortem.<ref name="no independent">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/jun/12/suzannegoldenberg|title='Barbarism' insult fired at Pakistan|date=12 June 1999|work=The Guardian|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130824003920/https://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/jun/12/suzannegoldenberg|archive-date=24 August 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==Reaction==
On 15 June 1999, India served Pakistan with a notice of breach of the [[Geneva Convention]] for the torture and killing of the prisoners of war.<ref name=ministry_record99>{{cite web|title=Breach of Geneva Convention by Pak armed forces |url=http://mealib.nic.in/far/1999.pdf |work=Foreign Affairs Record 1999 |publisher=Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India |access-date=29 March 2012 }}</ref> The Minister of External Affairs, [[Jaswant Singh]], raised the issue with [[Sartaj Aziz]], the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, seeking identification and punishment of those responsible, but Pakistan denied the charges of torture.<ref name=letter>{{cite web |title=Letter from the Minister of External affairs |url=http://specials.rediff.com/news/2004/jun/07karglet.htm |work=Lest We Forget |publisher=Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India |access-date=29 March 2022}}</ref>

On 14 December 2012 Pakistan's Interior Minister, [[Rehman Malik]], said that he had just recently heard of the case and that it was not known whether Kalia was killed with a Pakistani bullet or died because of the weather. He also said he would like to meet Kalia's father to find out what exactly had happened with his son. The same day, the [[Supreme Court of India]] ordered the Government of India to respond within ten weeks to a petition filed by Kalia's father.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://in.news.yahoo.com/captain-kalia-may-died-because-weather-rehman-malik-145837872.html |title=Captain Kalia may have died because of weather: Rehman Malik |date=14 December 2012 |access-date=19 May 2013 |publisher=ANI}}</ref>

==Efforts by family==
Kalia's family has campaigned to have the alleged acts declared a [[war crime]] by the United Nations and the people responsible punished in accordance with the Geneva Convention.<ref name=hillpost/>

Kalia's father approached various national and international organisations to put pressure on Pakistan to identify and punish the persons allegedly responsible.<ref name=hillpost>{{cite news |last=Sood|first=Ravinder |title=Seven years, Captain Kalia's family still waiting for justice |url=http://hillpost.in/2008/03/21/seven-years-captain-kalias-family-waits-for-justice/4890/more2/activism/rsood |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111202180038/http://hillpost.in/2008/03/21/seven-years-captain-kalias-family-waits-for-justice/4890/more2/activism/rsood |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 December 2011 |access-date=29 March 2012 |date=21 March 2022}}</ref><ref name=cnn-ibn>{{cite news |title=CJ takes on India, Pak govts over torture of Kargil hero |url=http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/58607/cj-takes-on-indian-pak-govts-over-armymans-torture.html |access-date=29 March 2012 |newspaper=CNN-IBN |date=10 February 2008 |archive-date=1 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121201142447/http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/58607/cj-takes-on-indian-pak-govts-over-armymans-torture.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> As of 2004, Britain had responded by saying that it had unsuccessfully sought a full report from the Indian army, while Israel noted it had no diplomatic relations with Pakistan. Germany said it had no response to enquiries made to the Ministry of External Affairs, and Pakistan rejected the allegations.<ref name="rediff">{{cite web|url=https://m.rediff.com/news/2004/jun/07karg4.htm|title=Kargil first hero|access-date=30 August 2019|work=Rediff}}</ref>

The father stated in 2009 that he has failed to achieve his goals despite {{quote|shuttling between various government offices and organisations ... I am ashamed of being an Indian. The country has spineless leaders ... Though the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre expressed concern over the heinous crime and promised to take up the issue at the international level, in all these years the issue got diluted.<ref name=hindu_parent/>}}

An online petition started by the father to highlight the plight of the war victims was pursued by the MP [[Rajeev Chandrasekhar]], who wrote to the External Affairs Minister and raised questions in Parliament as to why the Government had not taken up the case with the [[United Nations Human Rights Council]] (UNHRC). In response, Defence Minister [[A. K. Antony]] wrote to Kalia's parents in October 2013 that India was bound by the [[Simla Agreement]], and any differences with Pakistan would be settled bilaterally.<ref name="surrenders">{{cite news| title=Govt surrenders to Pakistan on Kargil hero| url=http://in.news.yahoo.com/govt-surrenders-to-pakistan-on-kargil-hero-031717597.html| access-date=20 November 2013| date=20 November 2013| publisher=Mail Today}}</ref>

"In order to declare a war crime, the Ministry of Defence needs to write to the Ministry of External Affairs, which then takes up the matter with the UNHRC. The council then refers the matter to the General Assembly, which can declare war crime. It then goes to the international court of justice (ICJ). It is the ministry of external affairs that did not follow up the case with the UN" said Colonel S. K. Aggarwal, a former [[Judge Advocate General (India)|Judge Advocate General]] officer.<ref name=rediff_firsthero>{{cite news |title=Lest We Forget, Kargil's first hero |url=http://specials.rediff.com/news/2004/jun/07kalia.htm |access-date=29 March 2012 |newspaper=Rediff news |date=7 June 2022}}</ref> An affidavit filed by the External Affairs ministry in November 2013, said that "moving the ICJ is not a legally enforceable right" and that Pakistan may not permit India submitting a proposal to ICJ.<ref name="surrenders"/>

In 2012, Indian Army Chief [[General Bikram Singh]] reportedly supported the efforts of Kalia's father by writing to the Ministry of Defence and National Human Rights Commission conveying his concerns.<ref>{{cite web|title=General Bikram Singh extends Support to Family of Kargil Hero Capt. Kalia|url=http://news.biharprabha.com/2012/11/general-bikram-singh-extends-support-to-family-of-kargil-hero-capt-kalia/|work=IANS|publisher=Biharprabha News}}</ref>

N. K. Kalia, along with Chandrasekhar, and the Flags of Honour Foundation, (an organisation dedicated to building ceaseless engagement between society and the families of killed soldiers), filed a petition on 7 December 2012 with [[Juan E. Méndez]], UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, of the Office of High Commissioner of Human Rights in Geneva.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.rediff.com/news/report/captain-kalias-father-takes-fight-for-justice-to-un/20121211.htm| title=Captain Kalia's father takes fight for justice to UN |author=Vicky Nanappa |date=11 December 2012 |access-date=19 May 2013 |publisher=rediff}}</ref> The Indian External Affairs Ministry said it would look at the nature of the petition, as the UNHRC is an inter-state body and usually acts only in terms of initiatives taken by its member states.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://m.indianexpress.com/news/kargil-hero-saurabh-kalias-father-approaches-unhrc/1043766/| title=Kargil hero Lt Saurabh Kalia's father approaches UNHRC| date=11 December 2012| access-date=19 May 2013| publisher=rediff}}</ref>

Following the formation of the [[First Modi ministry|Narendra Modi ministry]], the Supreme Court accepted a [[public interest litigation]] (PIL) case in September 2014, filed by N. K. Kalia and Sarwa Mitter, and asked the government to respond within six weeks. The Court wanted to know the stance of the new regime, and wondered why the government had not approached the International Court of Justice.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/supreme-court-bring-back-indian-pows-in-pakistan/article6439815.ece| title=Bring back Indian PoWs in Pakistan, says apex court| date=24 September 2014| work=The Hindu}}</ref> The government's reply listed the actions taken by the previous government but did not state any proposals for the future. Instead, the government challenged the validity of the petition, saying that a PIL cannot seek action against a foreign country and that foreign policy is a government function.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/beheading-at-loc-poll-over-nda-backs-what-upa-did/| title=Beheading at LoC: Poll over, NDA backs what UPA did| publisher=Indian Express| author=Utkarsh Anand| date=12 December 2022}}</ref>

==Memorials==
In Himachal Pradesh, a memorial park in Palampur is named "Saurabh Van Vihar", a street as "Capt Saurabh Kalia Marg" and the locality as "Saurabh Nagar".<ref name=express_parent>{{cite news |title=For these parents, life's a mix of grief, pride |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/oldStory/72179/ |access-date=29 March 2012 |newspaper=[[The Indian Express]] |date=11 June 2022}}</ref> A statue in his memory has been erected in Amritsar by Amritsar Working Journalists Association.{{Sfn|Singh|2001|p=128}} A [[liquefied petroleum gas]] agency has been allotted by the [[Indian Oil Corporation]] to his parents.<ref name=hindu_parent/>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{Cite book|last=Bisht|first=Rachna Singh|title=Kargil: Untold Stories from the War|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|year=2019|isbn=9-789-353-05591-2}}
* {{Cite book|last=Singh|first=Mohinder|title=Punjab 2000: Political and Socio-economic Developments|date=2001|publisher=Anamika Publishers & Distributors|isbn=978-81-86565-90-2|language=en}}
* {{Cite book|last=Dwivedi|first=Diksha|title=Letters from Kargil: The war through our soldier's eyes|date=2017|publisher=Juggernaut Books|isbn=978-93-86228-43-7|language=en}}
{{Portal bar|Biography|India|Military}}{{Military of India}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalia, Saurabh}}
[[Category:Indian Army officers]]
[[Category:1976 births]]
[[Category:1999 deaths]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Amritsar]]
[[Category:People from Kangra, Himachal Pradesh]]
[[Category:Indian prisoners of war]]
[[Category:Kendriya Vidyalaya alumni]]
[[Category:People of the Kargil War]]
[[Category:Prisoners of war held by Pakistan]]
[[Category:Indian Hindus]]
[[Category:People executed by Pakistan]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Himachal Pradesh]]

Saurabh Kalia - Revision history

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