He panics, and makes a run for it. The Pakistan patrol shouts after him, asking him to stop, and then lets off a volley of bullets that mows Kewal Singh down. The return of the young shepherd's body to his wailing relatives makes for a poignant sight on TV screens across the country. And politicians, to divert attention from the very real problems plaguing the cities, make capital of it. Almost in unison, they launch an anti-Pakistan tirade.
Rhetoric soon evolves into action.
India announces that it will rigorously patrol the border, both to protect Indians and to deal harshly with any Pakistan national who happens to wander into India. The Pakistanis respond with a troop build-up of their own. Tensions run high all along the border. About the same time, a long-scheduled Pakistani military exercise gets underway. New Delhi, unaware it is a planned exercise, considers it an act intended to escalate tensions.