Indian Army hands over video footage of surgical strikes along LoC to government
Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir said the Army and Centre had both followed the procedure laid down for such situations.
The Indian Army on Wednesday handed over video footage of the surgical strikes it conducted along the Line of Control on September 29 to the central government, PTI reported. Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir said the Army and government had both followed the procedure laid down for such situations. "The DGMO [director general of military operations] had briefed [the media about the surgical strikes]. It was not done by the defence minister, prime minister or the home minister. That was the right thing to do, and the Army did it," he explained.
The move to release clips of the operation followed controversy around the authenticity of the strikes. Pakistan has claimed that the strikes never took place, while several Opposition party leaders, including Congress' Sanjay Nirupam and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, have questioned the veracity of the mission. Earlier, written documents on such operations were submitted, but video footage is handed over now, Ahir said.
Meanwhile, eye-witnesses who apparently live along the LoC, spoke to The Indian Express and gave details of the surgical strikes. According to the report, the witnesses support India's claims of carrying out the military operation and gave "graphic accounts" of the September 29 strikes. The report also details where the surgical strikes were conducted, based on intelligence it gathered.
The surgical strikes followed a militant attack on an Indian Army camp in Kashmir's Uri sector on September 18.