World
India
As tensions between India and Pakistan remain high, Pakistan-based social media accounts are spreading fake news claiming an Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jet was shot down and the pilot captured in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK). The Indian government has firmly denied the false narrative, calling it a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) fact-check unit clarified that the image used by Pakistani handles is from an old 2014 Sukhoi Su-30MKI crash in Maharashtra, not from any recent event in Muzaffarabad as falsely alleged.
“Pakistani social media handles are claiming that a Sukhoi Su-30MKI was shot down in Muzaffarabad and an Indian pilot captured. This image is from a crash that took place in 2014 near Pune-Ahmednagar, Maharashtra,” said PIB.
Moreover, the fake posts wrongly attributed the news to NDTV, which has issued no such report. The government also re-circulated the original 2014 media coverage of the crash to prove the photo’s true origin.
Misinformation Surge in Digital Space
This incident is part of a wider misinformation campaign orchestrated from Pakistan as it attempts to control the online narrative following major military setbacks during India’s Operation Sindoor.
Between 10 PM on May 8 and 6:30 AM on May 9, the PIB fact-checked and debunked at least eight viral posts and videos, including:
-
A drone strike video in Punjab’s Jalandhar, which turned out to be footage of a farm fire unrelated to military activity.
-
A claim that a post held by “20 Raj Battalion” was destroyed by Pakistani forces—the Indian Army has no such unit, the government confirmed.
-
A viral clip of the 2020 Beirut explosion, being falsely shared as a Pakistani airstrike.
-
A misleading video alleging a suicide attack on an Army brigade in Rajouri—this too was labeled as fake.
Another viral rumour falsely claimed ATMs in India would shut down for 2–3 days, which was also flagged by PIB as baseless and untrue.
Tensions After Pahalgam Massacre
The latest wave of misinformation follows India’s strong military response to a brutal terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, where 26 civilians, including a Nepalese national and a local pony ride operator, were killed in a Pakistan-backed terrorist strike.
In retaliation, India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting terror camps deep inside Pakistan and POK. In response, Pakistan escalated shelling across the Line of Control (LoC) and conducted airstrikes, which were successfully neutralized by the Indian Army.
ALSO READ: Rajasthan on High Alert Amid Border Tensions, CM Bhajan Lal Sharma Reviews Security
