PIB Fact-Check: India debunks claims of Rafale fighter jet downing after Operation Sindoor strikes

Dubai: The Press Information Bureau (PIB) has debunked several false claims circulating in Pakistani media and social platforms following Indian Army’s precision airstrikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-run Kashmir on Wednesday.

In response to Operation Sindoor, which targeted 9 camps in Pakistan-run Kashmir and Pakistan, several social accounts alleged retaliatory strikes on 15 Indian locations, including claims of attacks on Srinagar Airbase and destruction of Indian Army facilities and fighter jets.

These claims lacked credible evidence such as satellite imagery or verified video footage.

PIB’s fact-check refuted claims that Pakistan shot down Indian Rafale jet and said that the image being shared is old and not related to ‘Operation Sindoor.’

India’s Press Information Bureau, however, warned people against old images being circulated on social media.

“An old image showing a crashed aircraft is being circulated with the claim that Pakistan recently shot down an Indian Rafale jet near Bahawalpur during the ongoing Operation Sindoor. #PIBFactCheck: This image is from an earlier incident involving an IAF MiG-21 fighter jet that crashed in Moga district in Punjab in 2021,” PIB posted on its official X handle.

The Rafale is a 10-tonne, twin-engine multirole fighter, equipped with a 30mm cannon for air combat and ground support, along with air-to-air missiles, laser-guided bombs, and cruise missiles.

Before this latest escalation, India had 36 Rafale jets in its Air Force, purchased from French manufacturer Dassault Aviation.

The French military has not officially commented on the incident.

Rising hostilities between the South Asian neighbors have also unleashed an avalanche of online misinformation, with social media users circulating everything from deepfake videos to outdated images from unrelated conflicts, falsely linking them to the Indian strikes.