“We Kargil Widows” The Times of India’s Cheap Click Bait Gimmicks To Gain Viewership Drags Indian Army Into Controversy

The Times of India is one of the oldest and most respectable media houses, and when it resorts to such cheap gimmicks to gain viewership, one can only feel a deep sense of helplessness as well as anger because the target of this mischievous exercise is one of the remaining untainted institutions in the nation—The Indian Army. The Times of India had accused Indian army officers of asking for ‘sexual favors’ from Kargil war widows based on the statements of a Kargil war widow. However, while the War Widow had leveled sexual harassment accusations against State government officials, the TOI title implied that the deplorable act was done by Army Officers.

The Whole Story

At the height of the Kargil war, a BSF team led by Inspector Inderjit Singh of the 129 Battalion had cordoned off a portion of the Halmatpora forests where more than 40 Pakistani terrorists were holed up. In the ensuing gun battle, four militants were killed. However, Inspector Inderjit Singh and one more senior officer, second-in-command Satpal Chaudhary, were martyred in the operation. Inspector Inderjit was also conferred with the President’s Police Medal (Gallantry) for his gallant act.

Inspector Inderjit Singh’s widow, Indu Singh, was promised numerous forms of help by both the State Government and the Central Government. However, as is often the case, she had to wage a lonely battle to get everything she was promised. She had to endure the callous and apathetic attitude of State Government officials.

Worse, Indu Singh had to leave her in-laws because they were pressuring her to remarry either the elder or the younger brother of her husband. She was also a victim of sexual harassment by a State Government official and had to approach the then Deputy Prime Minister, Lal Krishna Advani, for justice. The officer who committed the indecency was suspended. This officer was tasked with overseeing land allotment for the construction of memorials for martyrs in their respective villages.

The TOI took up this story with the title ‘We Kargil widows “were easy targets for officers to satisfy lust.” At first sight, it seemed that the TOI was suggesting Indian army officers had sought sexual favors from the wives of soldiers who were martyred during the Kargil War of 1999. However, on reading the whole article, it became clear that nowhere had the Kargil War Widow, Indu Singh, accused the Indian Army or its officers of sexual impropriety.

The article created a huge controversy to the level that TOI had to remove the clickbait title.

The new headline of the article now reads, ‘We Kargil widows “were easy targets of govt officers’ unwanted advances.”

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