The Press Information Bureau’s (PIB) Fact Check unit has debunked a series of false and misleading claims circulating widely on social media amid heightened tensions in the region.
One viral claim alleged that a female Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot, Squadron Leader Shivani Singh, had been captured in Pakistan. In a post on X, PIB Fact Check categorically denied the report, stating: “Pro-Pakistan social media handles claim that an Indian Female Air Force pilot, Squadron Leader Shivani Singh, has been captured in Pakistan. This claim is FAKE.”
Another false claim suggested that Pakistan had destroyed an Indian S-400 air defence system. The PIB dismissed this as entirely baseless.
“Reports of destruction or any damage to an S-400 system are baseless,” the fact-checking unit stated on X.
A separate claim, which went viral with accompanying images, alleged that three Indian fighter jets had crashed in various parts of the Himalayan region. PIB Fact Check clarified that the image being circulated was from 2016 and had no connection to current events.
Earlier the Fact Check unit also debunked narratives about a cyberattack on India’s power grid and a drone strike on Gurdwara Nankana Sahib in Pakistan.
The Fact Check unit urged citizens to rely exclusively on verified information from official sources. It warned that the spread of such fabricated content appears to be a coordinated attempt to mislead the public and incite communal tensions.