Daijiworld Media Network- New Delhi

New Delhi, May 9: The Indian government on Friday dismissed reports circulating on social media about a suicide attack on an Army brigade in Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir, as "fake news." The Press Information Bureau's (PIB) Fact Check Unit clarified that no such attack took place at any Army cantonment in the region. Additionally, a video circulating online, which allegedly showed a drone attack in Jalandhar, Punjab, was debunked as footage from a farm fire, not a missile strike.

The PIB's statement further discredited an old video, falsely attributed to a Pakistani missile attack on India, which was actually footage of an explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, from 2020. The Fact Check Unit also corrected the misinformation surrounding a video of an explosion on an oil tanker, which was falsely labeled as an attack on the Hazira Port in Gujarat and was, in fact, an incident from July 2021.

According to the PIB, a coordinated disinformation campaign had been waged primarily by certain social media handles, with particular involvement from Pakistan's mainstream media. The aim, the government stated, was to instill fear among the Indian public, especially during heightened tensions following a series of cross-border incidents.

The claims of attacks came amid rising military tensions between India and Pakistan, with India successfully repelling missile and drone attacks on several military installations, including Jammu, Pathankot, Udhampur, and other locations across the country. The government strongly condemned the deliberate spread of false information and reiterated its commitment to addressing any security challenges in the region.