The Army on Saturday termed reports in social media as ‘malicious” claiming a hastily assembled hospital and fit soldiers posing as injured during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to a military hospital in Leh on Friday.
Taking exception to reports hinting the event was staged, the Army said these were “malicious and unsubstantiated accusations” in some quarters regarding the status of the facility visited by the Prime Minister.
It is unfortunate that aspersions are being cast on how our brave Armed Forces are treated. The Armed Forces give the best possible treatment to their personnel, the statement said.
It is clarified that the said facility is part of the Crisis Expansion capacity of 100 beds and is very much part of the General Hospital complex.
The COVID-19 protocol had necessitated some wards of the General Hospital to be converted into isolation facilities. Hence, this hall which otherwise was normally used as a Training Audio Video Hall was converted into a ward ever since the hospital was also designated as COVID treatment hospital.
The injured braves have been kept there since their arrival from Galwan to ensure quarantine from COVID areas. Army Chief General M M Naravane and the Army Commander have also visited the injured braves in the same location on earlier occasions, it said.
After the bloody skirmish on June 15 in the Galwan valley leaving 20 Indian army personnel dead, the injured soldiers were kept there to ensure isolation from COVID-19 affected areas.
On a surprise visit to Ladakh on Friday, Modi addressed troops at Nimu outside Leh and later visited the Leh military hospital and met the soldiers.