In the wake of India’s successful cross-border counterterrorism campaign dubbed Operation Sindoor, Pakistan-based social media accounts have ramped up a misinformation campaign, falsely claiming that a female Indian Air Force pilot was captured. India’s Press Information Bureau (PIB) has categorically denied the claim, labeling it as entirely fabricated.
The rumor, which spread rapidly online, alleged that Squadron Leader Shivani Singh of the Indian Air Force had been taken into custody after Pakistan allegedly shot down a Sukhoi SU-30MKI. However, PIB Fact Check, the Union government’s official fact-verification arm, swiftly responded, stating, “Indian Female Air Force Pilot has not been captured. This claim is FAKE.”
A photograph being circulated with the false claim was traced back to a 2014 incident in Maharashtra, where a Sukhoi SU-30MKI crashed in Undre Vasti near Pune – entirely unrelated to the current tensions or military operations.
The Indian government has condemned the coordinated campaign as part of a broader strategy to distort facts and undermine India’s counterterrorism efforts. “Following India’s decisive strike under Operation Sindoor, Pakistan has unleashed a full-blown disinformation offensive — a desperate attempt to shift focus and flood the information space with lies,” said a senior Indian official to PTI.
Indian forces have maintained that Operation Sindoor, which targeted nine confirmed terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, was a “precise, measured and non-escalatory” response to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people last month.
India has also rebuked foreign governments and media platforms for amplifying unverified reports. On Friday, the Ministry of External Affairs urged countries such as China to “verify facts” before commenting on Operation Sindoor, emphasizing that disinformation threatens regional stability and public trust.
As the propaganda war intensifies alongside real-world military tensions, India’s defense and information agencies remain on high alert, urging citizens and the media to rely on verified sources and not fall prey to false narratives being spread with calculated intent.
