Operation Sindoor: Indian govt’s fact-check unit debunks fake narratives circulated online
The FCU, under press information bureau issued at least 18 rebuttals on its social media platforms, addressing false narratives related to terror attack
New Delhi: The Indian government’s fact-check unit (FCU), under the press information bureau (PIB), has ramped up its efforts to debunk false narratives being circulated online.
As tensions between India and Pakistan escalate with Indian armed forces’ strikes on terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Wednesday, a parallel war has unfolded on social media, with fake videos, misleading images, and unverified claims flooding platforms like X and Facebook.
“The unit has seen a marked spike in queries since the early hours of May 7, shortly after India launched Operation Sindoor, with a significant uptick in requests for verification pouring in from 3am onwards,” a PIB official said, requesting anonymity.
At the time of writing this article, the FCU had issued at least 18 clarifications on its social media platforms, addressing misinformation related to the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people.
Also Read: Why was India’s strikes on Pakistan, PoK named ‘Operation Sindoor’?
The official said that members of the FCU and the social media cell have been working for the last 24 hours. “We are active. We are working 24 hours. Our team hasn’t slept since yesterday. We are trying to tackle each and every fake news coming our way,” he said.
Posting recently on X, the FCU flagged an image widely shared, allegedly by pro-Pakistan accounts, reportedly showing an Indian Air Force (IAF) jet shot down during Operation Sindoor. The unit clarified that the image in question actually dates back to September 2024 and shows a MiG-29 fighter jet that crashed in Rajasthan’s Barmer, an incident unrelated to the current military operations.
Debunking another online claim that Pakistan had destroyed an Indian Army brigade headquarters, the FCU said, ‘This claim is fake.’
The unit also said that a fake advisory, designed to create panic, instructing citizens to stock up on essential items to prepare for an emergency situation, is being widely circulated. The misleading message claimed that citizens should keep ₹50,000 in cash, ensure their vehicles were fully fuelled, and stock up on medicines for at least two months, among other items.
Also Read:Operation Sindoor: China calls India’s military action ‘regrettable’
The FCU has urged users to refrain from sharing unverified content and to rely solely on official government sources for accurate information.
