Kashmir, Punjab, and the Northeastern States are known to be highly important to India in terms of geographical and strategic direction. Kashmir is known as the crown of India, and because of its beauty, it is also said to be paradise. The Northeast is referred to as the jewel of India, where one can find diversity of cultures, tribal lifestyles, and natural resources. It enlivens the identity of the country. Punjab is the gateway of India. Most of the invasions in the antiquity of India took place in this state. Today, also, as a border state, Punjab is of the greatest strategic value. Of these three regions, the defining power is not restricted to geography only. They also hold social and political importance.
These are the reasons why these areas have been subject to attacks by anti-national forces. There is always a war against separatist propaganda, and social networks operated online, in particular, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Telegram, and YouTube, are the battlegrounds. Not only do these serve as means of communication. But they are also being utilized in a massive format to mislead information and organize propaganda campaigns. Such a network was recently exposed by the DFRAC team. It is engaged in an active separatist campaign targeting Kashmir, Punjab, and the Northeast. Numerous tweets using such accounts are framed to incorporate the impression that they are genuine voices of Kashmir, Punjab, or the Northeast as expressions of grievances and that they appear to promote separatist beliefs. There are people who also have a habit of posting to damage the image of India.
Main points of the report:
- Students engaged in the propaganda complex
- Deep Gandhi
- Codex India
- Kongfu Panda
- Sunny and Squamish
- Sarah Dumonitor
- Nexus of propagandist users
- False news and fact hunt
1. Users Involved in Propaganda Nexus:
There are other accounts with such names as Kongfu Panda, Deep Gandhi, Codex India, Sunny, Squamish, and Sarah Dumonitor, all of which have a different style but identical goals as X accounts. They post frequently regarding Punjab and Kashmir as well as the Northeast, all of which superficially seem to be posted with information, analysis, or opinion, but in reality create a discourse undermining Indian policies as well as negative perceptions towards them. Others like Kongfu Panda, Deep Gandhi, Sunny, and Squamish post separatist messages on these areas, whereas Codex India and Sarah Dumonitor include the posts that defame the image of India.
2. Deep Gandhi
According to Deep Gandhi’s location, stated in the bio, he is placed in”Tezpur, Assam, India”, and with his ideologies being a step start in mind, as stated in the bio: “A merchant of the Assam Kingdom / Ideals of ULFA need to be realized / I am good at expressing myself in Chinese.”
Is Deep Gandhi Indian?
The fact that Deep Gandhi does this online causes doubts to be cast on his Indian identity. He also reads and re-posts tweets of accounts that are blocked in India due to legalities of Chinese, Pakistani, and Khalistan supporters.
As an example, he plays with the account of Chinese propaganda Zhao Dashuai that was blocked in India. The X account of Deep Gandhi was established one month after Zhao Dashuai published that he had withheld his account. Gandhi not only follows Zhao Dashuai but also likes, comments, and reposts him.
Withheld Accounts: Deep Gandhi and His Network:
He follows and has joined posts with Pakistani, Chinese, and Khalistani propaganda (like Defence Index, Farid Khan, and Harjeet Singh Ironclad, Asian Digest, and BD Military).
Separatist agenda in the Northeast by Deep Gandhi:
According to the Deep Gandhi handle, at first impression, it seems to be a handle that makes comments on general politics and social affairs. But when you take a closer look at its body of work, you realize that it is actually contributing towards building something very well orchestrated and emotional. Such posts are also shared by Deep Gandhi all the time, particularly about the states of the northeast, such as Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, that lead to separatist feelings. The most disturbing is the fact that Deep Gandhi calls Arunachal Pradesh Jangnan. Jangnan is the name that has been popularized by the Chinese, and the Chinese have been displaying it as their territory, and that it belongs to the southern part of Tibet, but on several occasions, India has officially leveled a befitting reply to the Chinese by countering this deception.
When names like Deep Gandhi make use of this name, it does not make a difference in words, but it is a solid endorsement of the Chinese language and also its claim. This appears to be a matter of a carefully planned course of action since recycling of the term penetrates everyday language, which is the goal of any propaganda. Also, Deep Gandhi shows the same pattern with reference to Assam. He promotes ULFA (a homicidal separatist group in Assam).
His account has a lot of posts where he refutes Assam as a state of India and attempts to establish himself as an individual and independent of India by introducing separatist ideas. This language is not merely a form of expression of opinion; this is a dangerous discourse that attempts to legitimize separatism. When such contents are obtained through a blog that pretends to be Indian, its effect is even greater as the reader can interpret it as an insider voice.
Gandhi Deep marketing Khalistani separatism:
Perhaps the most hazardous part of the content of Deep Gandhi is that he encourages Khalistani separatism. He writes openly in many of his posts, Jai Khalistan. Besides, Deep Gandhi has also shared this kind of post multiple times, where it has been implied or directly said that Assam is not part of India.
3. Codex India
Codex India is one of the users in X. It has a user ID @Codex_India3. It enjoys over 3700 followers in X. This account says that it is based in Australia. Nonetheless, it is suspicious because its Internet activities ensure that it does not openly give out its identity. Has stolen the false identity of British broadcaster, biologist, natural history writer, and author David Attenborough. Its postings are some of the efforts to create a bad face of India.
David Attenborough’s identity theft funds
Such a user as Codex India does not confine herself to posting ant-Indian materials and videos of anti-India propaganda. He has also embarked on an organized provision of finance to his propaganda network. In this regard, he has provided a link to donations on his X account. Where he is asking people for money of people publicly so that he can carry on with his work. What is the most outrageous and concerning part about this donation campaign is that the image of a British broadcaster and author of David Attenborough, is placed on the link. Attenborough is a reputable worldwide environmentalist and an author.
Codex India wishes to convey, through the usage of his picture, to make people feel that this donation drive is somehow related to or endorsed by Attenborough. This is not just a bid to deceive people. This is a genuine ethical swindle. Since it wants to cash in on its anti-India campaign by riding on the fame of Attenborough.
It is also shocking to see the target on the donation page. The target that Codex India has set in its campaign is 1 million Australian dollars (AUD). This translates to many crores of Indian rupees. Based on this information, this link to be used has also been used to deposit 287 Australian dollars thus far. It can be less, but it indicates that there are those who have already left some money to contribute after being misled into such a campaign. And the other significant data on the donation page is the following: the name of the individual who made the fundraiser is stated to be James Dean. It is the same individual who is running such a donation link, and the donation money is sent to his account.
Who is James Dean?
We made some searches on X to know about James Dean. We have also come across an account on James Dean with the user ID @Codex_India4 but all these accounts’ posts have been made inaccessible.
Numerous descriptions of the Codex India have been put in abeyance:
In our research, our group discovered that many of the Codex India accounts were deactivated by X (formerly Twitter). Previously, accounts bearing the names @Codex India and @Codex India2 were suspended, and the account named @Codex India3 continues to operate; the account named @Codex India4 is run by James Dean himself using his name.
Anti-India propaganda: Fake documentary on David Attenborough:
The description of this page owner with the name Codex India, appears to be a regular social media account; however, as we look deeper, we get to see that this account is involved in forming an anti-India narrative in a very organised manner. Among the most outrageous and hazardous undertakings is the close to three and a half hours long kind of documentary that this user has come up with. Such a so-called documentary even has a fake voiceover of the popular nature documentary announcer David Attenborough, i.e., an endeavour is made to address a fable to the people by implying that it is the voice of this popular nature documentary announcer, Attenborough himself, making such claims about India.
Such false narration is not accidental. Using this phenomenon of lending credence to a production through the voice of a global face or phenomenon like David Attenborough, Codex India has managed to have the viewers buy the explanation that what is verbalized in the movie is not just real but also authentic. This is, in fact, an excessive incidence of propaganda- the usage of names and voices that have an international credence attached to them as an attempt to project an approach that is able to hold water. In the whole documentary, an extremely negative picture of India is drawn. Each of the frames, each sentence is an effort to depict India as a filthy, backward, and chaotic country. Footage of filth in Indian cities, pictures of slums, and videos of crumpled roads are presented over and over again, but not in the context.
The most offensive part is that it is not only directed at India, but it is also intended to put the Hindu community in a bad light. People participating in acts at religious sites, pictures of the ablutions and worship movements make it look as though they are the riots and the dirt. These scenes are patronized by a voice-over that propagates falsehood in the sense that Hindu traditions and culture cause all the issues in India. This propaganda documentary proves that this is not a video that has been hastily done. Such a long video has undergone a lot of research, selection of footage, editing, and construction of the story. It is an organized and professional effort not only of criticism but a serious effort to damage the image of India totally on the international front.
4. Kungfu Panda
Kungfu Panda is the Chinese language name of a meticulously crafted war of words in the digital platform against India. The pattern of posting on the account, the history of interactions, and the analysis of the content evidence that the handle is related to numerous separatist and foreign propaganda groups aiming at destabilizing India on political, religious, and geopolitical fronts. The most interesting thing about KungFu Panda is that it is reaching out to the Khalistani separatist movements. It communicates regularly with the accounts and propagates messages that provoke dissatisfaction in Punjab and Khalistan propaganda.
In addition, Pakistan also promotes its side of the story concerning Kashmir to the extent of making it known as an occupied territory. Increasing the misrepresentation of the Indian security forces. The handle also pursues another tactic, which is to support Chinese claims and propaganda over India’s northeastern states, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Manipur. Appealing to Arunachal as Jangnan, overemphasizing the violence in Manipur, and labelling the Indian projects as controversial are some of the contents that are common in its posts.
Kungfu Panda Pakistani propaganda on Kashmir:
Kungfu Panda gives the majority of its misinformation about Kashmir and the Northeast. Writing in posts that depict Kashmir as a region of Pakistan. This handle is not Kashmir only, but takes the tone of the Khalistani movement in Punjab. Also makes falsehoods about quitting India by Punjab. This handle also provides erroneous allegations about the states of the South. As if the people in Southern India also want to separate from India.
Kungfu Panda had access to the Khalistani network:
Kungfu Panda even has access to the Khalistani propaganda network. Khalistani propaganda accounts on social media, such as Jagdeep Singh and Indrajit Singh, also quote their posts with fake information. At this point, it will be beneficial to mention the fact that Jagdeep Singh and Indrajit Singh’s accounts are prohibited in India.
Anti-India propaganda in the northeast:
It is a part of a well-coordinated Chinese propaganda machine that is already developing fake stories. They target the northeastern states of India. The handle also calls Arunachal Pradesh repeatedly by this name: Jangnan, just as the official policy and state media of China do. In this way, it attempts to justify the ownership of Arunachal Pradesh by the Chinese. At the same time, dispute the sovereignty of India. Besides this, there is the language of the term, such as the Indian occupation in Nagaland, which is a well-plotted trap in an attempt to challenge the territorial integrity of India.
Fake news spreads are also perpetrated by the handle. It also shows time and again that the houses are being demolished or the people are being displaced in Arunachal Pradesh. With the false claims of the Indian government to demonstrate that India is inflicting injustice on its people. What is most concerning is that the film establishes a discourse that the population of the northeast states has a cultural and linguistic affinity with China. These posts indicate plainly that the posting of such an ad about Kungfu Panda is all a part of long-term psychological and information warfare.
5. Khalistani propaganda of Squamish and Sunny:
The accounts of the users Squamish and Sunny seem to be part of a digital network that tries to sell the Khalistani agenda. The two accounts repeat content of each other. Boost the posts of each other and coordinate campaigns by mentioning different handles that are part of the pro-Khalistani network. These actions are an indication that the accounts of “Squamish” and“Sunny” cannot be treated as mere personal accounts because they belong to the Khalistani digital ecosystem.
Nexus of Propaganda Users:
The accounts such as Kungfu Panda, Deep Gandhi, Codex India, Sunny, Squamish, and Sarah Dumonitor that operate on the X platform are analyzed, which operate under different names, but together they create the digital network. The fact that these accounts often interact, repost, and tweet the posts of one another. Also, repeat the same story over and over again, and so on. It indicates that it is not just a coincidence, but it has been carefully planned.
There is an apparent trend that is evident in the material of these posts. That all of these channels are propagating different divisive stories about India. To take an example, Kungfu Panda and Deep Gandhi are the major Chinese propaganda on Kashmir as well as the Northeast. Codex India has a history of posting with the effect of making India a bad image. In the same manner, Sunny and Squamish are Khalistani propagandists. Sarah DuMonitor attempts to legitimize it in the international community under the pretext of human rights. These posts have amplified each other so as to provide reach. Such mutual coordination takes the form of them being part of this wider online propaganda system. The work of which is to foster/build a bad picture of India, nurture separatist thinking, and work to damage India in the global arena.
Fake-misleading news and foolproof:
A good portion of these users have also distributed a lot of incorrect and misleading details. Some of which are being fact-checked here.
Fake-misleading information-1
In one of his posts, Kungfu Panda posted a picture where the Indian soldiers can be seen carrying the Chinese flag. Nonetheless, this image is cut. In the original image, one may observe the Indian soldiers waving the national flag of the nation, which is the tricolor. This image is manipulated, and the Chinese flag is placed over the tricolor.
Fake-misleading information-2
Deep Gandhi has posted a video stating that it is in India where there are two trains passing over and under a bridge. Many people are sitting on the trains. As one of the points of the fact check. The DFRAC team discovered that the viral video is not Indian, but Bangladeshi.
Conclusion:
The DFRAC investigation reveals that this is not a collection of random online users but a well-coordinated digital propaganda network operating largely from outside India. Through sustained misinformation, manipulated media, and repeated separatist messaging, this network seeks to undermine India’s territorial integrity, fuel divisions, and damage the nation’s global image. The coordinated activity of accounts demonstrates a deliberate strategy, leveraging social media platforms as tools of psychological warfare. This poses a serious security concern, as such campaigns slowly embed dissatisfaction and separatist thinking within targeted audiences, making them as dangerous as conventional threats to national unity.
