A Twitter handle by the name Rofl Republic tweeted a picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that a conference hall was converted into a ward with Army men “to facilitate PM’s photoshoot”. It even said that the Army men “posed like injured patients”.
Has anyone ever seen a patients ward with a projector, a screen & a headtable? A ward which doesn't have a single medical equipment?
It's amply clear, to facilitate PM's photoshoot, an Army Conference Hall was converted into a ward with armymen posing like injured patients. pic.twitter.com/fWSLwfuMYG
— Rofl Republic (@i_theindian) July 3, 2020
This tweet was retweeted by Sumanth Raman, former quiz master of BSNL sports quiz and currently a TV panellist and Twitter personality with more than 251K followers. Mr. ‘Know-all’ Sumanth Raman is known for being an expert on everything under the sun.
Frontline Associate Editor RK Radhakrishnan too retweeted a similar tweet in Tamil.
Savukku Shankar another prominent Twitter handle too retweeted the tweet by Rofl Republic.
As this became viral, the Ministry of Defence had to issue a clarification on the same.
The clarification said that there have been unsubstantiated and malicious accusations from certain quarters regarding the Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the General Hospital on July 3.
Indian Army clarification on the status of the facility at GH, #Leh.
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.https://t.co/uMXhWaKe7z
https://t.co/7sPolc7drS— PIB India (@PIB_India) July 4, 2020
“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 release read.
It stated that the COVID19 situation necessitated the conversion of some wards of the GH 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”, it said.
The Jawans injured in the Galwan Valley are being treated since their arrival in this hall.
It is to be noted that Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane and the Army Commander to visited the same facility before the Prime Minister’s visit.
“It is unfortunate that aspersions are being cast on how our brave Armed Forces are treated”, it added.