'Malicious, unsubstantiated': Indian Army on reports claiming PM Modi staged visit to 'fake hospital'

The army's clarification came a day after several social media posts claimed that the Prime Minister in reality had not visited any hospital where soldiers injured in the Galwan Valley clash were being treated and his pictures were from a fake hospital.

“There have been malicious and unsubstantiated accusations in some quarters regarding the status of the facility visited by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during his visit to the General Hospital at Leh on July 03, 2020,” read the statement by army posted by Ministry of Defence a day after the PM’s visit, said reports.

“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. 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 defence ministry clarified.

The Army statement said that the Covid-19 protocol had necessitated some wards of the General Hospital to be transformed into isolation wards, the reports added.

“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 statement read.

“The injured braves have been kept there since their arrival from Galwan to ensure quarantine from Covid areas. The Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane and the Army Commander have also visited the injured braves in the same location,” the army’s statement clarified.