Bust Fake News With Bangalore Mirror: Sukhoi not shot down; PIB says 2014 image of crash

Time of India

10-05-2025

PIB Fact Check
The government on Friday dismissed claims by Pakistani social media handles that a Sukhoi Su-30MKI was shot down in Muzaffarabad and that an Indian pilot had been captured. A fact check by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) revealed that the image being circulated was fake and lifted from an 11-year-old news report. Theclarified that the image was actually of an Indian Air Force Sukhoi SU-30MKI that crashed at Undre Vasti of Kulwadi village near the Pune-Ahmednagar highway in Maharashtra on October 14, 2014.A post by PIB Fact Check on X stated: 'Fake News Alert. Pakistani social media handles are claiming that a Sukhoi Su-30MKI was shot down in Muzaffarabad, capturing an Indian Pilot alive. #PIBFactCheck This Sukhoi SU-30MKI of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed at Undre Vasti of Kulwadi village near Pune-Ahamad Nagar highway, Maharashtra on October 14, 2014.'The post included the original news report, showing the image now being misused by Pakistani social media. In a separate case, PIB fact-checked another video, labeling it 'Pakistan propaganda alert.' This video, widely shared by Pakistani handles, shows what appears to be a heavy Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) barrage, and falsely claims it to be a real Pakistani attack on India.However, PIB clarified that the footage is actually from a video game and has been available online for over three years. The PIB post said: 'Pakistan Propaganda Alert! A video showing a heavy MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket Systems) barrage is being falsely shared as a real Pakistani attack on India. #PIBFactCheck The video is from a video game and has been online for over 3 years.'The PIB included a link to the original game footage and emphasized that it has no connection to the current India-Pakistan scenario. It urged people to verify content before sharing it.Earlier, PIB also fact-checked additional viral posts and found them to be misleading or fraudulent. One such post involved an image shared on X, claiming an explosion at the Jammu Air Force base. The PIB debunked this, stating the image is actually from the Kabul airport blast that occurred on August 21, 2021.In its X post, PIB said: 'Explosion at Jammu Air Force Base? Here's the truth! An old image is being circulated with false claims of multiple explosions at the Jammu Air Force Base in India.#PIBFactCheck This image is from the Kabul Airport blast in August 2021.' They also included the report from which the image had been taken. The PIB confirmed that numerous circulating videos and images are unrelated to current military events.Additionally, PIB fact-checked viral footage purportedly showing Pakistani attacks on Hazira Port in Gujarat and a drone strike in Jalandhar. The Hazira Port video was confirmed to depict an oil tanker explosion from July 7, 2021, and had no ties to any Pakistani action. Similarly, the video claiming a drone attack in Jalandhar was found to show a farm fire instead.The PIB stated: 'Drone Attack in Jalandhar. This drone strike video from #Jalandhar is widely circulating on social media #PIBFactCheck This is an unrelated video of a farm fire. The video has the time 7:39 PM, while the drone attack began later.'Following India's significant cross-border operations targeting terror bases in Pakistan and PoK, there has been a rise in misinformation. The PIB has since exposed several such fabricatedos that emerged after the strikes began on May 7.