There’s supposed to be a ceasefire between India and Pakistan now, but the biggest lesson from this past week was that India needs to find a way to cease the tirade of misinformation and fake news.

Because the conflict is not yet over: just hours after the ceasefire was announced, reports of more explosions came in from Srinagar. So the situation is still uncertain, and it’s more important than ever to ensure that misinformation is not weaponised.

This week there was a proliferation of fake videos and fabricated stories, warmongering on national TV and incessant flow of rumours on WhatsApp, X and Instagram — it was a trifecta that created a panic-like situation in India, even as tensions on the border escalated.

Whether this was a war or not, the onslaught of misinformation made it feel like one.

At one point in the week, this seemed like a war to find the right and credible source of information, and not be swept away in jingoistic narratives.

So this Sunday, it’s time to grapple with the misinformation issue that has been plaguing India for years now, through every tragedy and calamity and in times of crisis. But before we go there, a look at the top stories from our newsroom this week:

• Cracking Pincode: Digital payments giant PhonePe relaunched quick commerce venture Pincode last year but it has eschewed the dark store path to bank on kiranas. Will this twist on the quick commerce model give PhonePe another weapon in its arsenal?
• Kult Unmasked: Even as Kult claimed a $20 Mn infusion last week, Inc42’s investigation has uncovered several holes in the Kult story, as well as allegations from employees about Rahul Yadav using Kult to move funds around for business associates. Here’s the Kult story
• Porter Turns Unicorn: With a $200 Mn infusion led by Kedaara Capital and Wellington Management, logistics and shipping startup Porter has joined the unicorn club

A War Of Words

Fake news got so bad this week that as Indians waited with bated breath for any update on the situation on the border, the representatives of the armed forces were forced to begin their press briefing by debunking stories doing the rounds.

While it’s hard to trace the origin of these stories about Indian air force bases being hit, it was said that they are likely to have originated from Pakistani social media........

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