India claims its soldier was beheaded

India summoned its neighbour's high commissioner to formally complain about the attack on the army patrol in the Himalayan region that left two soldiers dead.

The attack took place on Tuesday, a day after Pakistani army officials accused Indian troops of crossing the ceasefire line and shooting one of its soldiers.

Both militaries deny each other's claims.

For the moment the fallout remains limited to the diplomatic arena.

However the two nuclear-armed countries, which have not signed up to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, have previously fought two outright conflicts in the Muslim-majority region, most recently in 1999.

A ceasefire has remained in place since then.

And gruesome media reports quoting senior Indian army officer Brigadier S Chalwa stoked fresh tensions today by detailing the alleged abuse of the dead men - including the beheading.

The Indian army's Northern Command rejected claims that one had their throat slit and another beheaded.

However spokesman Rajesh K Kalia said the soldiers' bodies had been mutilated.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement released following the Pakistan ambassador's dressing down: "Two Indian soldiers were killed in the attack and their bodies subjected to barbaric and inhuman mutilation."

But Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid told reporters: "We cannot and must not allow the escalation of any unwholesome event like this."

He added that "forces" attempting to undermine steps towards long-term peace in Kashmir should not be indulged.

He did not explain whether the "forces" he referred to included elements within the powerful Indian military.

The mutilation claims were dismissed by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs as "baseless and unfounded."

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Leftwingers condemned across-the-board fare rises announced by Railways Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal today - the first in 10 years.

"The hike in the fares of second class, sleeper and suburban fares is particularly unjustified as they will burden the ordinary people who are already suffering from all-round price rises," the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said in a statement.

It said that fares should remain the same for lower-cost fares, but be increased for the very wealthiest passengers.