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Indian Army Debunks Claims of 'Surgical Strike' By Dainik Jagran on Frontpage

The government's fact-checking body, the PIB Fact Check, also said the report is false and baseless. 

New Delhi: An infiltration attempt by two Pakistani terrorists through the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district and the subsequent killing of the two by Indian Army soldiers was falsely attributed to being a “surgical strike” by the Hindi daily Dainik Jagran on its front page.

The newspaper has the highest readership in the country, according to the Indian Readership Survey. It carried this misinformation on its front pages, across editions. 

What was the front page news? 

The lead story in the Tuesday, August 22, edition of Dainik Jagran had the headline: ‘New Surgical Strike by Indian Forces: Terror Camps Targeted Beyond the Border.’

According to the report by journalist Gagan Kohli, a team of approximately 12-15 highly skilled Indian soldiers allegedly crossed the Line of Control (LoC) into the Pakistani-administered Kashmir region near Kotli. The mission purportedly aimed to neutralise a terrorist camp responsible for fomenting unrest and planning infiltration attempts into Indian territory. The report claims that seven to eight terrorists were killed in the operation, and four launching pads were destroyed. It also shows a graphic representation of the LoC and four tent-like structures that were purportedly destroyed. 

Kohli’s narrative paints a vivid picture of the mission’s success, highlighting the return of the Indian soldiers, unscathed, and reiterating their unwavering commitment to safeguarding the nation’s borders.

However, these claims were met with swift denial from authorities. The government’s fact-checking body, the PIB Fact Check, said the report is false and baseless. 

Despite this, the reporter, Kohli, stands by his story, according to a Newslaundry report. He has said that his sources within the military had confirmed the operation’s authenticity.

The online version of the original article has since been taken down and has been replaced with a modifed version.

Just a day prior to the publication of this report, the Indian army had announced the thwarting of an infiltration attempt in the Balakot region. 

A PTI article based on the information provided by Lt Col Sunil Bartwal, a Jammu-based defence public relations officer, stated that intelligence inputs had revealed that terrorists were attempting to cross the LoC. Alert troops engaged them with effective fire, forcing them to flee their ambush sites due to inclement weather and terrain. One terrorist fell and was injured, leading to the recovery of weapons and Pakistani medicines, he said.

Despite injuries, the terrorists managed to cross the LoC but eventually succumbed to their injuries, according to Bartwal.

Kohli’s original article came with a disclaimer, acknowledging that the military has not yet confirmed the surgical strike. It cited unnamed sources within the military who indicated to him that the operation was carried out under the cover of darkness. The article implied that Pakistan’s silence on the matter is indicative of their unease, drawing parallels with previous incidents such as the Balakot airstrike and the Uri attack.

The article claimed the operation caught the terrorists off guard, leaving them with no time to react. 

Army PRO Lt Col Bartwal has categorically denied the article’s contents. The information published lacks credibility and has not been validated by any official source, Bartwal is quoted as having said in the Newslaundry article.

When questioned about the military’s denial, Kohli said he could provide visual evidence in support of his claims if required.

The Supreme Court, in 2020 emphasised the need for mechanisms to address fake news and misinformation. 

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill, 2023, introduced by the Union home minister Amit Shah in the last parliament session says that disseminating “fake news or misleading information” could lead to a maximum of three years in prison. It has been sent to the Standing Committee for assessment.

The new IT Rules, 2023, which are often criticised for giving the “government arbitrary, overbroad, and unchecked censorship powers” also purport to have the broad aim of reducing fake news.

The Indian army has sent a notice to Dainik Jagran’s editor-in-chief Sanjay Gupta and has “warned” the publication to not repeat such a thing and said the matter “would be escalated to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting,” if it did.