Claim: Six Indian soldiers were killed in face-off between the Indian and Chinese army in Ladakh
Fact: Six civilians were injured in Srinagar following a failed attack on an Indian Army vehicle by suspected militants
On August 30, two offences against the Indian Army took place in two different locations. One in the Baramulla region of Srinagar, Kashmir and the other on the southern bank of Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh.
The first incident was an attack by suspected militants on Indian troops, when the former lobbed a grenade at an Indian Army vehicle at Azadgunj in Baramulla district. The grenade missed the target and exploded on the road, which led to injuries sustained by civilians present in the area. At least six civilians were injured and rushed to a nearby hospital.
The second incident took place near the LAC (Line of Actual Control) between Black Top and Thakung Heights at Pangong Tso’s south bank in eastern Ladakh between the Chinese and Indian soldiers. According to a statement released by the Indian Army, Chinese troops “violated” the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements. These claims were dismissed by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Nonetheless, skirmishes between the two armies did not result in any casualties.
On August 31, videos from a hospital in Baramulla showing injured civilians were circulated on twitter claiming that they were from Ladakh. These tweets claimed that six Indian Army soldiers including a Major General were killed in the face-off. One twitter user claimed that the Indian Army is losing in Ladakh and that the media is spreading propaganda of their success. Soch Fact Check found these claims to be false. First, the video claimed to be from Ladakh is actually from Baramulla, Srinagar. A screengrab of the video in question can be found in this article about the attack in the area. Second, it clearly shows paramedics treating injured civilians, not soldiers.
Civilians who were injured in the grenade attack by terrorists being attended to in a local hospital in Baramulla. Original target of the terrorists was an Indian Army vehicle but it a group of Kashmiri civilians. pic.twitter.com/tZSBWpF9f6
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) August 31, 2020
Asian News International tweeted a video of the attack in Baramulla which shows that the grenade missed the Indian Army convoy.
#WATCH Terrorists hurled a grenade on Army Convoy moving from Baramulla towards Srinagar, which missed the last vehicle & resulted in injuries to 6 civilians. They have been shifted to hospital. Area cordoned off & search is in progress: Indian Army pic.twitter.com/AE3SUHx9HR
— ANI (@ANI) August 31, 2020
An independent journalist based in New Dehli and Srinagar, Aditya Raj Kaul, tweeted the video of paramedics treating civilians at 1:46 PM on August 31, reporting that the attack happened in Baramulla, Srinagar. On the other hand, the twitter accounts claiming the video was from Ladakh tweeted it much later in the night on the same day.
Moreover, Soch Fact Check found no deaths or injuries of Indian troops in Ladakh reported by major Indian or Chinese news organisations. Therefore, there were no casualties involving troops in either of the two incidents.
Summary: Video of paramedics treating injured Kashmiri civilians from a failed attack on Indian troops in Srinagar is being shared on twitter with false claims that the patients are injured soldiers from the face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh.
Research Associates: Areeba Fatima