The Indian government on Friday refuted widespread claims circulating on social media regarding a suicide attack on an Army brigade in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri and a drone strike in Punjab’s Jalandhar, labelling them as "fake news."
According to the Press Information Bureau’s (PIB) Fact Check Unit, there was no “fidayeen” or suicide attack on any Army cantonment in Jammu and Kashmir.
Additionally, a viral video suggesting a drone attack in Jalandhar was confirmed to actually show a farm fire. This was verified by the district collector of Jalandhar, who classified the claim as disinformation.
Between 10:00 p.m. on May 8 and 6:30 a.m. on May 9, the PIB fact-checked seven videos, compiling a list of each along with corresponding links.
Among these was an old video falsely shared as footage of a missile attack by Pakistan on India, which was in fact from the 2020 Beirut explosion.
In another instance, a video purporting the destruction of an Indian Army post by Pakistani forces was proven to be fabricated.
The PIB clarified that no such unit as the “20 Raj Battalion,” mentioned in the video, exists within the Indian Army.
The PIB further highlighted a coordinated disinformation campaign allegedly originating from several social media accounts and mainstream media outlets in Pakistan, aimed at inciting fear among Indian citizens.
Other misinformation exposed by the Fact Check Unit includes:
A 2021 video of an oil tanker explosion falsely portrayed as an attack on Gujarat’s Hazira Port.
A fake letter attributed to a fictitious "Chief of Army Staff, Gen V K Narayan."
A viral video claiming the Indian military launched strikes from its Ambala airbase, which was debunked with reference to an official Ministry of Defence statement.
(With inputs from PTI)