There is a war of misinformation, disinformation, and fake news alongside Operation Sindoor. As the Operation was launched and escalated, the info war too gathered momentum with more than half-a-dozen examples in less than two days. There is a need for sustained counter efforts on this front too. The night of the operation saw individual information activists calling out a stream of fake news and misinformation from across the border, including that its forces had “downed five fighter jets” of the Indian Air Force. It should not have fallen on individuals, however passionate they are about staying in the lane of truth.

Thankfully, India’s Press Information Bureau (PIB), the official news purveyor of the government, got into the act too. In a single day, its Fact Check division busted at least seven major “news” items coming from Pakistan that sought to dent India’s morale, such as a drone attack in Jalandhar that did not happen, the destruction of an Indian post “20 Raj Battalion”, which did not exist, a missile and a fidayeen attack that were not, a fabricated........

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