NDTV Ban: Did the Two Terrorists In Question Even Exist?

The forensic reports do not match up to the government’s statement; results of DNA testing remain ambiguous.

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry’s decision to ban NDTV India for a day has been met with heavy criticism from journalists and political parties alike. The ban pertains to the TV news channel’s live coverage during the Pathankot airbase attack in January 2016, when a reporter shared the location of two terrorists.

However, a report by The Indian Express questions the very existence of the two terrorists as the investigators have failed to identify them.

Also Read: NDTV India May Go off Air for a Day Over Pathankot Attack Coverage

“Two terrorists are alive, and there is a weapons depot near where they are. The soldiers, the National Security Guard officers, who are exchanging fire with the terrorists, are concerned that if the terrorists reach the weapons depot, it will be difficult to eliminate them,” the NDTV India correspondent had said on live TV.

However, in a twist, the bodies of the two terrorists were not recovered from the building where they were supposedly hiding. No weapon or ammunition was recovered from the building either.

Another report by The Indian Express on 21 May had said that the studies of Indian and international forensics experts concluded that the charred remains recovered from the attack site were seemingly contaminated and samples were incomplete.

In addition, the studies indicated that even though male DNA was present in the samples, it gave no clear indication that it came from only two individuals. Instead, the tests done on the charred remains seemed to contain the genetic material of multiple individuals.

This report by The Indian Express contradicted Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s statement in Parliament on 16 March that the forensic tests were ample evidence to support that “those inside the building were two terrorists”.

As identities of the two terrorists remained murky months after the attack, it wasn’t clear why NDTV India was being penalised.

NDTV India Singled Out?

Just like NDTV India, several news channels carried information that did not come from an official source. For instance, Aaj Tak revealed the location of the terrorists and the presence of combat jets in the surrounding area.

Moreover, the coverage cannot be solely blamed for providing any sort of information to the terrorists. Google Maps already had high-resolution images of the Pathankot Air Force base prior to the attack, which clearly showed the locations of the aircraft.

(Source: The Indian Express)