In the wake of India’s Operation Sindoor that targeted terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, social media platforms are awash with false and misleading claims about the military action and its aftermath. Here’s a round-up of such claims:

The above social media post purports to show the remains of a downed Rafale aircraft used by the Indian Air Force (IAF) for the operation, and a clip of another IAF aircraft being winched by a rescue helicopter. However, The Hindu found both claims to be false.

A reverse image search revealed that the image of the downed jet had nothing to do with Operation Sindoor. Furthermore, the picture was not of a Rafale aircraft but of an MiG-21 fighter jet that had crashed during a training exercise in Punjab in May 2021.

The video clip, which had all the bearings of AI-generated content, was traced back to a YouTube channel called ‘Ai in life’. Notably, the YouTube video was uploaded on May 5 – two days before Operation Sindoor was launched.

Another post claimed that Pakistan had retaliated by hitting military targets and downing IAF aircraft.

However, the image accompanying the post, seemingly showing an IAF aircraft in flames, dates back to 2024. It shows an MiG-29 fighter jet that crashed in Rajasthan during a training exercise.

A video clip purporting to show an Indian news channel reporting on downed IAF aircraft turned out to be digitally altered.

A closer look at the clip revealed that it had been altered with a video editing software, going by the watermark visible at the bottom of the video. The format of the news ticker was also different from the one normally used by the TV channel concerned.

The Hindu found that the incident dated back to April 2025, when a Flight Lieutenant was killed in a Jaguar fighter jet crash in Gujarat.

It may be noted that India launched Operation Sindoor in retaliation for a terror attack at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, in which 26 people were killed. Pakistan’s claim of having downed IAF jets involved in the operation has not been confirmed by India.

Amid the escalating military operations on both sides, a claim that the Jaipur Airport had been attacked was shared widely on social media.

The post claimed that explosions were heard at the airport. The claim has since been debunked by the local authorities.

Another viral post claimed that the Pakistan Army had attacked Amritsar. It contained an image showing an area engulfed by fire.

However, a reverse image search revealed that the fire had occurred at a landfill in Delhi three years ago, and had nothing to do with the ongoing conflict.