Maj Vivek Gupta and two jawans of the Rajputana Rifles died in the decisive battle for Tololing on the Drass sub sector. When the bodies of the three Army personnel were recovered the day after the night assault, the bodies were in a very odd condition.

The skin of the three had turned into a hide-like composition and they had big black markings on their backs. What added to the mystery was that one of the personnel had no bullet or sharp wounds on his body.

From the Tololing ridge, the Army had also recovered three US-made gas masks which appeared to have been used. Senior Army officers said they were awaiting the results of the tests, which had been delayed as the Srinagar Army establishment does not have the required facilities.

``There seems to be some kind of a chemicalweapon used by the Pakistani intruders. But a decisive say on the matter can only come about after the exhaustive analysis on the skin samples are carried out,'' a senior Army officer said.

It is to be noted that from the early days of the Kargil battle, militant leaders based in Pakistan have been issuing threats that the intruders possessed chemical weapons and that these would be used if India resorted to chemical weapons attack.