New Delhi, May 9 (JKNS): A wave of coordinated disinformation has been launched by certain social media handles, particularly from Pakistan, including segments of its mainstream media, with the intent to create panic and confusion among the Indian population, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) said on Friday.
In a briefing issued till 6:30 a.m. on May 9, 2025, PIB stated that its fact-check unit has been consistently countering such psychological warfare in recent weeks. Several misleading posts have also been picked up by Indian media and social media users. PIB emphasized that a total of seven videos were verified and debunked between 10:00 p.m. on May 8 and 6:30 a.m. on May 9, 2025. These videos were found to be misleading, unrelated, or completely fake. Below is a summary of the content fact-checked:
Drone Attack in Jalandhar: A viral video claiming to show a drone attack in Jalandhar was found to be of a farm fire and not related to any attack. The video timestamp showed 7:39 p.m., whereas the actual drone activity started later. This was also confirmed by the DC of Jalandhar.
Link to clarification
PIB X post
https://x.com/PIBFactCheck/status/1920573308502004108
Fake Indian Post Destruction Claim: A video circulated claiming a Pakistani attack destroyed an Indian post allegedly from the “20 Raj Battalion”. PIB debunked the video, clarifying that there is no such battalion in the Indian Army and the clip was staged to mislead the public.
PIB X post
https://x.com/PIBFactCheck/status/1920563445700890909
Missile Attack Video: An old video was falsely shared with claims of a Pakistani missile attack on India. PIB traced the video back to the 2020 Beirut explosion.
YouTube clarification
PIB X post
https://x.com/PIBFactCheck/status/1920549148438245721
Fidayeen Attack in Rajouri: Rumors of a suicide attack on an army brigade in Rajouri were proven baseless. PIB confirmed that no such incident occurred and flagged the video as fake.
PIB X post
https://x.com/PIBFactCheck/status/1920533172405592286
Fake Army Letter: A letter falsely attributed to Gen. V.K. Narayan, claiming to discuss military preparedness, was found fake. PIB clarified that Gen. Narayan is not the Chief of the Army Staff and the letter was fabricated.
PIB X post
https://x.com/PIBFactCheck/status/1920521614908928063
Ambala Airbase Attack Hoax: A social media post alleging the Indian military attacked Amritsar from the Ambala Airbase was debunked. PIB confirmed the post was baseless and part of a broader misinformation campaign. A press release from the Ministry of Defence was shared to counter the false claims.
PIB X post
https://x.com/PIBFactCheck/status/1920506467536564710
False Airport Entry Ban Claim: Another viral post falsely claimed that airports across India had imposed an entry ban. PIB flagged the claim as fake and confirmed no such government directive was issued.
PIB X post
https://x.com/PIBFactCheck/status/1920536096951210303
PIB stated it will continue to actively monitor, debunk, and expose fake narratives to safeguard the public interest and maintain national integrity. (JKNS)
