FACT CHECK: Was nail-studded iron rod used by Chinese soldiers on Indian troops?
Why is that nail-studded iron rod doing the rounds on social media? Was it used by Chinese soldiers to attack Indian troops in the Galwan Valley of Eastern Ladakh Monday night? Rumour mills appear to be going berserk circulating the unauthentic visuals. The images showing the nailed stick circulated on social media, triggering anger among people. But is the picture real? Was the iron rod used on Indian soldiers during the faceoff with the Chinese? What is the truth? Read on.
When India TV contacted the Indian Army Headquarter to check if the image, that had gone viral, was authentic. The truth appeared far from true. "The photo is fake," the army headquarter confirmed to India TV.
At least 20 Indian Army personnel were martyred in violent hand-to-hand clashes with Chinese troops in Galwan Valley on Monday -- the biggest confrontation between the two sides in about five decades.
More such rumours have been afloat ever since the faceoff between India and China further worsened the relations. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today questioned why Indian soldiers were sent "unarmed to martyrdom", triggering heated reactions towards the government. However, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar later asked him to get his facts right and clarified that the troops in Galwan valley were carrying arms. "Let us get the facts straight. All troops on broder duty always carry arms, especially when leaving post. Those at Galwan on June 15 did so. Long standing practice (As per 1996 and 2005 agreements) not to use firearms during faceoffs," he tweeted.
Another rumour that was clarified was about " missing soldiers in action". The Indian Army trashed repoorts claiming that a number of its soldiers went missing after the violent clashes with Chinese troops at Galwan Valley three days back. "It is clarified that there are no Indian troops missing in action," the Army said in a statement today.
