Pakistani propaganda handles on social media have claimed that an Indian Air Force aircraft crashed in Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir. Users further alleged that the aircraft crashed under mysterious circumstances and suggested that it could be due to Electronic Warfare (EW) effects.
Many other Pakistani handles have also shared posts claiming that an Indian Air Force aircraft crashed, as seen here, here, and here.
Fact Check:
The DFRAC team found during its investigation that this claim is fake. The Ministry of Defence has termed the viral claim of a plane crash as misleading and false. In a statement posted on the Ministry’s official Facebook page, it said: “The viral claims of an Indian Air Force aircraft crashing in Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir, are misleading and false. This video circulating on social media has been officially debunked by the Press Information Bureau.”
The Ministry of Defence’s YouTube channel has also declared the claims of a plane crash in Kishtwar to be false.
Additionally, several media reports regarding the incident state that the Air Force has dismissed the plane crash claim as fake. A report by The Wire cited a statement from Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma, who said: The blast site is in a remote and mountainous area, located about four kilometres away in the upper reaches of Afani village in Paddar tehsil. As soon as we received information about the explosion, we immediately sent our teams to the spot, but they found no signs of a plane crash. The Army and Air Force have also denied reports of a crash. However, a massive fire has broken out in the forest, and efforts to extinguish it are underway. We are trying to ascertain the cause of the explosion.
Conclusion:
DFRAC’s fact-check clarifies that the claim circulating on social media regarding an Indian Air Force aircraft crash in Kishtwar is fake. The Ministry of Defence and the Press Information Bureau (PIB) have termed these viral claims misleading and false.
