A 12-second-long video featuring television journalist Shweta Singh from the India Today Group-owned Aaj Tak has been circulating on social media, where she has allegedly defended the government and blamed the Indian Army for the June 16 clash between Chinese and Indian soldiers along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that left 20 Indian soldiers, as well as several Chinese troops dead.
The Aaj Tak channel had a lengthy segment and there was one section where Singh and her colleague Rohit Sardana were having a discussion about the escalated situation. During the conversation, Singh is heard saying, “This is the responsibility of the Army. You can’t blame the government for this.”
This 12-second-long video was then circulated on social media where people began calling out Singh as a member of ‘Godi Media’. Twitter users like Dhruv Rathi and one user A Rajesh (ARajesh_SP) sharing the video.
The video is in fact two minutes long. And Sardana and Singh are having a discussion that begins with Sardana saying, “The Centre will have to explain to parties the current situation. Is this India vs China, BJP vs China or Indian Army vs Chinese Army? This isn’t a situation that should be mocked.”
To which Singh says, “This isn’t a situation where you ask questions after something has occurred. There are a few questions to be answered here. Firstly, if the People’s Liberation Army entered Indian territory and our soldiers were sleeping, then it’s on the Army and not on the government because the government is not on patrolling duty, the Army is. Our Army has enough independence to take critical decisions on its own that it doesn’t need a political master to tell it what to do. If the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) moves and the Indian Army reached the spot, and yet despite this the Chinese enter, then it is on the onus of the Army,” she said.
She, however, added that the situation was sensitive and the unit present along the LAC knew best the actual situation. “They understand what a war-like situation is and they will be the last people to escalate anything into war. However, we’ll need to put politics aside and wait for the situation to de-escalate. After that, we can ask the government all the questions we want,” she said.
Watch the full video here:
Singh even put out a tweet after her 12-second clip was shared. “Applying a 10-second clip means that the person sharing the tweet is hiding something. Make your owners happy by making videos. We don’t require a reason to be happy,” she said.
Twenty Indian soldiers, including their Commanding officer, were killed during a bloody face-off with the Chinese troops at the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh's Galwan Valley on Monday night.
Initial reports had said only an Army colonel of the Bihar Regiment and two jawans were killed. This was the most serious escalation at the border in five decades, at a time soldiers of both sides were in the process of disengagement. India said the clashes happened "as a result of an attempt by the Chinese side to unilaterally change the status quo there", refuting China's claims that Indian soldiers had crossed the border.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi went into a huddle with Home Minister Amit Shah even as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met military chiefs twice as India discussed a response to the face-off. More than 43 Chinese soldiers have been killed or seriously injured, news agency ANI claimed, citing sources.
