Kargil Vijay Diwas Flashback: When a former war hero said Barkha Dutt was reporting live on 'secret' Tiger Hill operation
Senior journalist Barkha Dutt, who gained prominence after her frontline war reporting on the Kargil Conflict between India and Pakistan in 1999 is back at headlining for doing a live commentary during the ‘secret’ Tiger Hill operation.
Dutt recently shared a post on her Twitter handle and wrote, “How some TV news has framed @mehartweets issue wrong. Fake binaries.Extreme poles to fan flames& then feel pleased with self at "fireworks".”
Quote-tweeting the same, a Twitter user shared pictures from Lieutenant General Mohinder Puri’s book, who headed the 8 Mountain Division, during the Kargil War, and wrote, “says who aired tiger hill assault live.... Fireworks there were real and real men died.”
Titled as, 'Kargil: Turning the Tide', Puri in his book states, “At Tiger Hill it was snowing. At about 2120 hrs, the ienxcfouratnhget operator gave a ring in the ops room asking for me. The Corps Cdt had wanted to speak to me urgently. When the can got connected, all in the ops room could make out that something serious was being discussed between us.
On finishing, I looked at Col WE David n m Deputy Cdr of 56 Mtn Ede, who was also present, and asked him to find out if Barkha Duct of NDTV, then Star Plus/News Channel, was anywhere in the vicinity or amongst the media witnessing the artillery fire on Tiger Hill.
We soon discovered that the young lady was giving a live commentary on the attack on Tiger Hill sitting right next to the brigade traffic check post in Drass. I met her and after a few words of advice from me, she was told to proceed to an underground room and rest for the night. So much for secrecy of an operation!
I had only informed the Corps Cdr of the date of the operation and he in turn for reasons of secrecy had not even informed the Army Cdr. Hence the surprise and concern over Barldn's reporting.
Nevertheless, to be fair to this young, dynamic girl, her reporting was excellent and literally brought the battle of Tiger Hill into the living rooms of our countrymen.”
Barkha replied to the tweet adding by stating, “You know more than General Malik the Chief? //Challenge you to a debate on this with him present. Say when and where.”
For those unversed, General Ved Prakash Malik PVSM, AVSM served as the 19th Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army from 30 September 1997 to 30 September 2000. He was the Army Chief during the Kargil War.
The book was launched in 2018 in the presence of Puri and Dutt. Sharing her experience during the event, Dutt was quoted saying, "I was very young when I went to the battle field and many of the soldiers whom I met where one or two years younger to me.
"Although it was against the backdrop of violence, the valour and the courage that I saw in Kargil was the most intense and profound experience of my life and it changed me in ways no other assignment that I have reported on has," she added.
July 26 is celebrated as 'Kargil Vijay Diwas' in India to mark the victory of Indian soldiers in recapturing the mountain heights that were occupied by the Pakistani Army in 1999. The day is celebrated to rekindle the pride and valour of the soldiers who took part in Operation Vijay.
