In the aftermath of Pulwama attack on February 14, social media is flooded with numerous fake news, images and videos.
One of the news making rounds on social media is the report that the Ministry of Home Affairs refused to provide air transit to the CRPF.
The news was also reported by several media outlets.
FACT CHECK
Following the reports, the MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) on February 17 issued a statement denying the claim, saying that the reports are “untrue”.
MHA: Reports that appeared in a section of media that air transit facility on Jammu- Srinagar sector for CRPF troops was not allowed are untrue. pic.twitter.com/q1rddMB4i3
— ANI (@ANI) February 17, 2019
“Movement of convoys by road for logistical and operational reasons has been and will continue to be necessary,” it said. “This is also the case with the Army.”
“Over the last few years, the MHA has significantly enhanced the air courier services for Central Armed Paramilitary Forces (CAPFs) in all sectors to help the jawans cut down on travel time during their journey to and back from home on leave,” the statement added.
According to the ministry’s statement, air courier service for transportation of jawans of CAPF are already in operation for quite some time. Initially, it was Jammu-Srinagar-Jammu Sector. Later, at the request of the CAPFs in December 2017, the services were extended to Delhi-Jammu-Srinagar-Jammu-Delhi, seven flights a week.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, on Friday said that there would be restrictions on civilian traffic on highways and major roads in Jammu and Kashmir during the movement of convoys of security forces. This was the practice followed in the late 1990s and early-2000s, but the rule was relaxed in the last decade.
As evident in the above statement, the home ministry did not deny air transit to CRPF.
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