Army tweets about mutilation but had refused to respond to RTI

Image
Press Trust of India New Delhi
Last Updated : May 01 2017 | 5:28 PM IST
The army today tweeted about the mutilation of the bodies of two Indian soldiers by the Pakistan army, but refused to divulge details about such incidents under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, citing "national security" concerns.
An RTI application seeking to know the number of soldiers whose bodies had been mutilated by intruders on the Line of Control was stonewalled by the army last year.
The Central Information Commission, however, rejected the army's contention that the information was related to national security.
Information Commissioner Diya Prakash Sinha, a former intelligence officer, ordered the army to disclose "the available details ... Of soldiers killed in action... whosebodieswerefoundmutilated."
"Peopleofthecountry have the right to know about soldierswholaydown their lives in the line of duty," Sinha had said in his order.
In compliance with the order, the army had responded by merely providing the list of personnel who were killed in action along the Line of Control, a temporary border between India and Pakistan, without disclosing if the bodies had been mutilated.
Today, however, the army posted on Twitter a statement from the Northern Command on the mutilation of two soldiers.
"Pakistan Army carried out unprovoked rocket and forward mortar firing on two forward posts on the Line of Control in Krishna Ghati sector. Simultaneously, BAT action was launched on a patrol operating in between the two posts," the Northern Command of the Indian army said in the statement. BAT is the Pakistan army's Border Action Team.

Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: May 01 2017 | 5:28 PM IST

Next Story