Army soldiers pay tributes to five of their slain colleagues at a wreath laying ceremony in Poonch
The deadly ambush on a group of Indian soldiers in Poonch triggered national outrage and a demand by the opposition for the government to abandon plans for talks with Pakistan. However, there were conflicting statements on who killed the Indians, adding a worrying dimension to the debate.
Five soldiers were killed and a sixth seriously injured while they were on patrol near the Line of Control at Poonch, 200 kilometres south of Srinagar.
Defence Minister AK Antony told Parliament "the ambush was carried out by approximately 20 heavily-armed terrorists along with persons dressed in Pakistan Army Uniforms."
However, minutes before that, a press release sent by the Defence Ministry said "Pak Border Action Team attacked Indian Soldiers" indicting the Pakistani Army, which has denied the charge.
The Jammu press communique was issued after collecting details from the Northern Army Command which is tasked to protect entire Jammu and Kashmir.
Both India and Pakistan have Border Action Teams (BAT) which function as crack special forces often used as quick reaction teams to address emergencies at the border.
"We would tend to believe the Indian Army since it is on the ground rather than Defence Minister," senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Ravi Shanker Prasad told reporters. He also added that "the statement of the Defence Minister lacked clarity."
In Parliament, Arun Jaitley, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said that by attributing the attack to men dressed in Pakistani uniforms, the Defence Minister has let Islamabad off the hook. "Isn't the Government giving Pakistan a way out" he asked the minister in the Rajya Sabha.
Later in the day, an embarrassed Defence Ministry withdrew the statement that conflicted with Mr Antony's version and said that it "regretted" releasing the statement.
While questions continue to be asked as to why AK Antony stopped short of mentioning the Pakistan army in Parliament, senior officials indicated to NDTV that it well may be a way of keeping the dialogue process on with Pakistan. The killing of two soldiers and beheading of one on January 8, 2013 just 40 kilometres away from today's attack had led to a suspension of dialogue between the two countries. However, with a new Government in Pakistan, India was looking to restart the dialogue process.