“No data on surgical strikes before 2016”: Indian Army refutes Congress claim of 6 sugical strikes

In reply to an RTI filed by a Jammu-based activist, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said that they do not have information about any surgical strikes conducted by the Indian Army before 2016.

This contradicts claims by United Progressive Alliance (UPA) leaders who said that the Congress-led government had conducted six surgical strikes during its term, but never used them to seek votes.

As the war of words continues between BJP and Congress over surgical strikes, India Today TV has accessed an RTI reply submitted by the MoD, which says that it has knowledge of only one surgical strike that took place on September 29, 2016 post the Uri terror attack in north Kashmir.

The RTI filed by Jammu-based activist Rohit Chaudhary had sought details about the surgical strikes between 2004 and 2014.

In its reply, the ministry through Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) has said that they only have data about one strike that was conducted by the Army along the Line of Control on September 29, 2016.

The RTI reply filed by the Integrated HQ of MoD through DGMO clearly states that it doesn’t have any data pertaining to surgical strikes if carried out before 2016.

The RTI was filed by the activist in 2018. Speaking exclusively to India Today TV, activist Rohit Chaudhary said that Congress was lying to the people and that no such strikes took place during the UPA regime.

Congress had recently said that six surgical strikes were carried out during its rule, but PM Modi had mocked and dismissed Congress’s claims of surgical strikes across the border.

On Saturday, Congress president Rahul Gandhi had said that when PM Modi says UPA’s surgical strikes were in video games, he insults the Indian Army.

Gandhi said, “The Army isn’t Modi’s personal property. Surgical strikes were done by the Indian Army, not Congress. But when he says they were video games, he insults the Indian Army. The records are available.”

A few days ago, Congress leader Kapil Sibal had also said that the UPA government carried out surgical strikes in 2011 under the name of Operation Ginger.