The aftermath of Operation Sindoor saw a barrage of misinformation – from claims that Rafale jets were downed to doctored images of casualties. As this online battlefield intensified, one man emerged as the key face of the counter-propaganda effort in India: Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair.
Apart from flagging Pakistani accounts masquerading as army veterans, Zubair also called out Indian journalists for fake videos.
The PIB, meanwhile, had a busy day carrying out seven fact-checks in the hours before and after Operation Sindoor (more on that later).
Fact-checker-in-chief
Hours after Operation Sindoor, Pakistan journalist Hamid Mir peddled fake photos and videos, claiming that Indian fighter jets were downed by Pakistan. Early morning today, Mir tweeted: “Dog fight between PAF and IAF resulted in the defeat of India. Pakistan Air Force destroyed one Indian fighter jet in Akhnoor area one near Bathinda and one Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) near LoC close to Palwama.” On X (formerly Twitter), he also posted a photo of the crashed jet. The photo was flagged on X as fake news. The photo used by Mir was from 2021 when a Mig-21 jet crashed in Moga district of Punjab.
As several Twitter accounts apparently being operated from Pakistan circulated old videos and photos, Zubair emerged as the fact-checker-in-chief.
Zubair shared a list of pro-Pakistan X accounts (some in the name of veteran army officials) which engaged in fake news. One such account goes by the name of TejasswiPrakash (@Tiju0Prakash) whose bio read: “Proud Indian | Congress loyalist | Fighting for justice, equality & progress | Backing Rahul’s vision for a united Bharat | Truth over propaganda!”. But the account was being operated from Pakistan. Mir had quoted from this Twitter account to buttress his claims.
Zubair called out Mir on X: “So Pak Senior Journalist @HamidMirPAK is amplifying tweets by @Tiju0Prakash whose earlier I'd was @tiju786 ( A Pakistan propaganda account pretending to be Congress Supporter).”
At least one BJP MP and a pro-government journalist latched on to fake videos of “Congress Supporter”.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey quote-tweeted a fake post by @Tiju0Prakash: “Is the Congress a Pakistan stooge? Operation Sindoor will turn out to be Congress’ tandoor.” @Tiju0Prakash has deleted the post about crashed Indian jets near Aknur in Jammu.
Ashok Shrivastav, pro-government journalist with public broadcaster DD News, also quote-tweeted @Tiju0Prakash’s post to target the Congress. “Congress supporters are peddling Pakistan’s propaganda.” Shrivastav has deleted the tweet. @Tiju0Prakash’s post had read: “Keep praying for our Jawan. News are not good. Pakistan hits Indian brigade HQ.”
Zubair replied that despite several warnings about @Tiju0Prakash being a Pakistani propaganda account, the DD journalist was “busy peddling that the account is from India and supports Congress”.
Using @Tiju0Prakash’s post, podcaster and former TV journalist Richa Aniruddh has even asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to restrain “his supporter” from peddling fake news. “I didnt know. Deleted,” she wrote later.
Zubair, reviled by right-wing trolls, identified several pro-Pakistan Twitter accounts impersonating as Indian Army personnel. “Beware! These are Pakistani propaganda accounts pretending to be Indian Army Personals. Don't amplify their tweets,” he wrote on X with a screenshot of these accounts.
The fact-checker also flagged a three-month-old photo of an injured Indian pilot being used by a pro-Pakistan account. He also busted a Pakistani media report about a rebellion in the Indian Army.
Zubair also called out Indian journalists and other X users.
News 18 journalist Rubika Liyaquat shared a video of an area under missile attacks and wrote: “The Indian Army has created havoc at nine terrorist locations…” Zubair flagged the video and said it was from Gaza. She has not taken down the post
One Tiger Raja Satire shared a video of hellfire and wrote: “If anyone asks for proof, show them this…” To this, Zubair replied that the video is from Israel, not Pakistan.
Another X user (Manish Kasyap Son of Bihar) shared a video of an aircraft targeted by an air defence system and wrote that this time it was not an aarti but a fire. Zubair flagged it as a simulation video.
Sharing a video of a group of people running helter-skelter, perhaps after a missile attack, one Janardhan Mishra lauded the government on X: “Is baar ghar me ghus ke mara.” (This time, we struck them in their homes.) But Zubair said the video was from Gaza.
Meanwhile, an X user wondered if the Indian government would close all cases against Zubair, considering his myth-busting spree.
He replied: “Lol. Wo nahi hoga. Cases abhi 10 saal challenge.” (This won’t happen. The cases will continue for another 10 years.) Zubair faces several FIRs, mostly in BJP-governed Uttar Pradesh.
PIB fact-checks
Meanwhile, the Press Information Bureau’s fact-check unit also had a busy day on Wednesday while debunking several such bizarre and unsubstantiated claims being circulated on social media in the wake of Operation Sindoor.
Fact-check#1: ‘Government advisory’
The first fact-check came around 9 PM on Tuesday, a couple of hours before the operation was called. The fact-check unit debunked a viral message claiming that the Government of India had urged individuals to take precautionary measures and to keep essential items ready at home in the wake of the situation along the border.
An image of an advisory is being shared online, claiming that the Government has urged individuals to take precautionary measures and keep essential items ready at home.#PIBFactCheck
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) May 6, 2025
❌ This claim is #FAKE. The government has not issued any such advisory
✅ Beware! Trust… pic.twitter.com/JtEcr8iRge
Fact-check#2: ‘Airbase targeted’
Along with a video of a tree set on fire, these three X handles claimed that Pakistan had targeted an airbase in Srinagar. However, PIB, at 6.37 am, debunked these claims clarifying that the video is from sectarian clashes that took place in 2024 Khyber Paktunkhwa in Pakistan.
In a video shared by several pro-Pakistan handles, it is being falsely claimed that the Pakistan Airforce has targeted Srinagar airbase#PIBFactCheck
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) May 7, 2025
❌ The video shared is old and NOT from India.
✅The video is from sectarian clashes that took place in the year 2024, in… pic.twitter.com/vPmMq4IWdE
Fact-check#3: ‘Indian Brigade headquarters destroyed’
At 6.38 am, PIB also debunked the false claim circulated by several X handles that Pakistan had destroyed Indian Brigade headquarters. Geo News, a Pakistani news channel whose YouTube account has been banned in India, had also claimed the same.
Social media posts falsely claims that Pakistan destroyed Indian Brigade Headquarters.#PIBFactCheck
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) May 7, 2025
❌ This claim is #FAKE
✅ Please avoid sharing unverified information and rely only on official sources from the Government of India for accurate information. pic.twitter.com/9W5YLjBubp
Fact-check#4 and #5: ‘Rafale downed in Bahawalpur’
The Pakistani government has claimed that five Indian jets, including Rafale aircraft, had been downed. Several social media accounts circulated in image claiming it was of a Rafale fighter jet that had been downed near Bahawalpur.
At 10.02 am, the PIB debunked the claim saying that the image is of a MiG-29 fighter jet that crashed in Barmer, Rajasthan in September 2024.
An old image showing a crashed aircraft is being re-circulated by pro-Pakistan handles in various forms in the current context of #OperationSindoor#PIBFactcheck
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) May 7, 2025
✔️The image is from an earlier incident involving an Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-29 fighter jet that crashed in… pic.twitter.com/6NJQvRH7KJ
At 1.29 pm, it fact-checked another image to be of a Rafale jet being downed, saying it was of a MiG-21 jet that had crashed in Moga in 2021.
Fact-check#6: ‘BrahMos failure’
Around 2 pm, the PIB fact-checked a letter falsely attributed to the Defence Research and Development Organisation alleging failure in BrahMos missile components.
BrahMos is a versatile supersonic missile that was first tested in June, 2001.
Fake Letter Alert
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) May 7, 2025
A letter undersigned by scientist AS Kumar from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is being circulated online alleging a failure in BrahMos missile components.#PIBFactCheck
❌ The letter is fake
⚠️ @DRDO_India has not issued any… pic.twitter.com/Spd2Hy0QTi
Fact-check#7: Another Rafale claim
Another 37-second clip with visuals showing smoke and fire and the sound of gunshots was circulated by several X handles claiming that Pakistan had shot down a Rafale jet. Alt News, a non-profit fact-checking media outlet, ran a reverse image search on multiple screengrabs of this video and found out that the video has been widely circulated since April 27. DD News had aired the same video on February 6, 2025.
At 5.45 pm, PIB said the video being circulated by Pakistani handles is linked to the crash of an IAF Mirage 2000 jet near Gwalior in February 2025.
Pakistani accounts sharing video of a crash, claiming #Pakistan has shot down another Indian fighter plane.#PIBFactCheck
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) May 7, 2025
✔️The video being shared is from February 2025 and depicts the crash of an Indian Air Force (IAF) Mirage 2000 aircraft near Shivpuri, Gwalior, which… pic.twitter.com/IJEcJqlFKg
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