Did Mehbooba Mufti send army jawans to Tihar jail? Here's the truth
New Delhi, Feb 21: As the experts trying to find the loopholes in the security that led to the killing of 40 CRPF personnel at Pulwama in a terror attack on February 14, an accusation has been floated against former Jammu and Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti, that it was her earlier order that prevented the explosive laden SUV from checking.
In a video clip that is being widely shared on social media Major General (retd.) GD Bakshi that Mehbooba Mufti had made army apologise and even sent jawans to Tihar jail after a firing incident on a check post near Srinagar.
In the video he Bakshi was also seen elaborating on how the system of checkposts and barriers on roads in Kashmir was dismantled after Mehbooba's order.
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found several discrepancies in Bakshi’s claim. No army men involved in this incident ever went to Tihar jail.
Gen. Bakshi made the claim during a TV show. Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi also shared the video through her verified Twitter account. Some people shared this clipping on Facebook as well.
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy also claimed that the "army jawans were prosecuted and are still in jail".
Here’s the English translation of what Bakshi said during the TV show: During the Mehbooba Mufti's rule, there were three army checkposts outside Srinagar. One day, an annoyed Kashmiri man questioned why he was being stopped at the barricades. In a rage, the man crashed the first barrier, then the second one and despite repeated warnings, he did not stop. When he crashed the third barrier, army personnel opened fire and the man died on the spot. This led to huge outrage and protests from locals. Mehbooba Mufti ensured that the soldier who had opened fire was jailed, and he is still in Tihar jail. After this incident, the barriers were removed.
Listen to this please. pic.twitter.com/iC8Djq1a7B
— Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi) February 17, 2019
However, there are some factual errors in Gen. Bakshi's story;
The above mentioned incident took place on November 3, 2014 at Chattergam in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir. According to a report in
The Indian Expressfive boys were traveling from Chattergam towards Nowgam on a main road around 5.15pm when their car was fired upon by 53 Rashtriya Rifles men. Two of them died in the firing. There are different versions of eyewitnesses, police and army on what preceded the firing at the barricade.However, this incident did not take place during Mehbooba's rule as claimed by Gen. Bakshi, but Omar Abdullah was the chief minister in November 2014. The PDP came to power in April, 2015 and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed became the chief minister. Mehbooba became the chief minister in April 2016 after her father’s death.
Following the incident, Army had to face the fury of the people of the valley with several protests and violence taking place in the entire region. An FIR was filed against army personnel at Chadoora police station.
The army agreed that soldiers of 53 Rashtriya Rifles involved in the incident were at fault. A court of inquiry was initiated against nine soldiers, according to media reports.
However, there is no media report suggesting that these soldiers were convicted and sent to Tihar jail.
A detailed report regarding this in
The Quintquotes the top officer in charge at the time, Lt. Gen. (retd.) DS Hooda, saying the claims of security personnel being court-martialed was fake news.
Who authorised the prosecution of our army jawans who in 2014 shot at a Maruti car which smashed through three check points without stopping? That person is responsible for this latest SUV to get near the convoy killing 37 CRPF jawans. The army jawans are still in jail
— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) February 16, 2019
The army sources also confirmed to
India Todaythat the accused were never sent to jail.When India Today reached out to Gen. Bakshi about the claims that he made during the TV show. He agreed that he was wrong about his claim regarding the army men languishing in jail. However, he insisted that the PDP government was responsible for relaxing the security checking procedures in the Valley which were earlier being followed.
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Two held at Bengaluru airport with hydroponic ganja worth Rs 5.79 cr
Bengaluru (PTI): Two people were arrested at the Kempegowda International Airport here for attempting to smuggle hydroponic ganja valued at Rs 5.79 crore, upon their arrival from Bangkok on Wednesday, officials said
They seized 16.54 kg of hydroponic ganja, which was concealed in the checked-in baggage, the Bengaluru Customs said in a post on 'X'.
Both the accused were arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, it said.
Meanwhile, the Customs officials at the Bengaluru Airport also disposed of 287.5 kg of Ganja (Hydroponic Weed) and 1.17 kg of Cocaine seized under the NDPS Act, 1985, in accordance with CBIC (Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs) Disposal Manual on March 17, it said in another post.
