The India-Pakistan-Bangladesh border has always created several issues in the past for the border security forces as regular intrusion from both the sides was a tough task to handle. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government planted floodlights on the 647-km long border to tackle the issue of intrusion. The same was appreciated and achieved in the annual report of Ministry of Home Affairs as well. Many lauded the government’s efforts to safeguard Indian border, some appreciated the development on social media too.
However, after the picture went viral on social media, it was observed that the MHA used a picture of the Spain-Moroccan border in its report. The picture used in the “official” annual report was taken by a photographer back in 2006.
According to the MHA report of 2016-2017, out of the 647-km long floodlit area, around 45 km was on the India-Pakistan border.
Around 496km of the sanctioned length of India-Bangladesh border still remains to be floodlit. Although, an original picture of the floodlit area was available on NASA’s website in 2011, the MHA chose to use a fake picture in the report.
Following the revelation, social media users took to Twitter and lashed out at the Narendra Modi government for using a false and misleading image in the annual report.
Here’s how the Twitterati reacted:
In its annual report, Home ministry used a picture of Spain-Morocco border to showcase floodlights installed along Pak border @the_hindu pic.twitter.com/gNvIxdQeCm
— vijaita singh (@vijaita) June 14, 2017
Modi Sarkar is fake
It’s ministries are fake
It’s data is fake
It’s news is fake
Abki baar, photoshopped Sarkar! https://t.co/sM1Xbv2xMJ— Preeti Sharma Menon (@PreetiSMenon) June 14, 2017
Home Ministry shows Spain-Morocco border as Indo-Pak border. What a farzi Govt. Everything coming from them is a liehttps://t.co/Zee4p5iFxv pic.twitter.com/cmLT4vfDct
— Gaurav Pandhi (@GauravPandhi) June 14, 2017
Didn’t believe till i downloaded full OFFICIAL MHA report_https://t.co/kh7WxUclny
STILL THERE (5.30pm) Pg40 guys!_https://t.co/gdLLudWakZ— Akash Banerjee (@akashbanerjee) June 14, 2017
Earlier in 2015, the BJP government drew criticism after a fake photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was posted by Press Information Bureau on its website, purportedly showing him in a helicopter during an aerial survey of flood-hit Chennai.
In the picture, houses and water were reportedly seen clearly which is not possible during an aerial survey.
Video courtesy: YouTube