Operation Ginger: India's answer to Pakistan's attack
Operation Ginger was executed on 30 August 2011, before Eid, in retaliation of Pakistani Army's beheading of Indian soldiers and taking their heads as war trophies. 7 surveillance exercises were carried and 3 targets locations across LoC in Kupwara were chosen. The operation lasted 45 minutes. 8 Pakistani personnel were killed and the Indian Army severed 3 heads which were later buried in India.
What are surgical strikes?
In military terms, a surgical strike is an undertaking that is designed to "take out a specific target, with no or limited collateral damage." It is a high-speed operation undertaken by ground troops, aircraft or even missiles. Surgical strikes are carried out to avoid creating situations that could intensify into full-blown war. They are either denied or dealt diplomatically.
Para Commandos and Ghatak platoons: Surgical wings
Indian Army's Para Commandos and Ghatak platoons are trained for surgical strikes. Special Forces under the Para regiment are equipped to "parachute in to enemy territory and conduct precise missions, or to sneak in quietly across enemy lines".
Reason behind Operation Ginger
A report carried by The Hindu revealed that in July 2011, Pakistani Army raided an Army post near LoC in Kupwara. In the attack, 2 Indian personnel -Jaipal Singh Adhikari and Lance Naik Devender Singh were killed and beheaded. This led to the planning of Operation Ginger. In August'11, mobiles recovered off militants revealed clips of Pakistani Army personnel dancing around the severed heads.
BJP calls Operation Ginger an 'ambush attack'
The BJP claimed that 29 September's surgical strike was the first covert military operation of such a magnitude that took place in India. The party said that the nature of Operation Ginger was debatable and it was an 'ambush' attack and not a surgical strike. BJP added that "Congress was feeling insecure due to the rising popularity of the Modi government".
What Congress has to say
Reacting to The Hindu's special report on Operation Ginger, the Congress party said that this operation was a "proof that the recent surgical strikes were nothing new". The Congress tried to convey that 2016's surgical strikes weren't a solution that only BJP could arrive at. Congress said claims that surgical strikes hadn't happened before underestimated "past achievements of the army and earlier political leaders".
Why reveal the operation now: Former minister answers
Salman Khurshid, the external affairs minister at the time of Operation Ginger said P. Chidambaram had made disclosure about the Operation now "to put the record straight as the incumbent regime was trying to create an impression that the UPA did nothing in its tenure".
