Leopard urine kept dogs off surgical strike route: Retd Gen

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 12 

Revealing a trick used in the ‘surgical strikes’, a retired senior Army officer has said that troops used leopards urine and faeces to mislead stray dogs that would otherwise bark at troops.

Nagrota-based 16 Corps former commander Lt Gen RR Nimbhorkar (retd) on Wednesday said the Indian troops used leopard’s urine and faeces to throw off dogs while carrying out surgical strikes 15 km inside Pakistan territory in 2016.

Speaking to The Tribune, he, however, refused to comment any further on the matter saying: “I have nothing more to add to what I said”.

In Pune, the Thorle Bajirao Peshwa Pratishthan had awarded Lt Gen Nimbhorkar for his contribution during the strikes. The award was given away by the former Union Minister Manohar Joshi who was the chief guest. 

Lt Gen Nimbhorkar, who is from the Punjab Regiment of the Army, told the audience in Pune: “When I was the brigade commander in the Nowshera sector (earlier in his career), I had observed that there were often leopard attacks on the dogs there and the dogs stayed away from the area at night fearing leopards,” he said.

“When the strikes were being planned, we took the possibility of the presence of dogs into consideration... the dogs could have barked when our troops were crossing the LoC (Line of Control). “So our soldiers spread leopard urine and faeces along the route, which helped keep the dogs away,” the Lt General said.

Nimbhorkar said the Army had maintained deepest secrecy. Then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had told us to execute the operation in a week. I had discussed this with our troops a week in advance but didn’t reveal the exact location. “They came to know about it a day prior to the attack,” he said. To execute the operation, Lt Gen Nimbhorkar said, we had chosen early morning. “We had identified the terrorists’ launch pads. We had studied their timings and got to know that 3.30 am was perfect to attack. Before that, our troops had to reach a safe location. They had successfully crossed difficult terrains and mine fields. They destroyed three pads and killed 29 terrorists,” he said.