Army debunks deepfake video claiming five Operation Sindoor aviators went missing

A viral video claiming that Lieutenant General Devendra Sharma, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Army Training Command, raised concerns over five aviators allegedly missing after participating in “Operation Sindoor” has been found to be digitally manipulated, with the Indian Army’s fact-checking handle terming it a deliberate attempt to spread false narratives.

In the digitally altered clip, the officer is falsely made to appear as saying that out of 59 officers listed, five names were missing and that the individuals were last seen acting as fighter aviators flying four Rafale aircraft and one Su-30MKI jet during “Operation Sindoor.”

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The fabricated audio further names five purported officers and suggests the Army was unable to trace them. “Names of 59 officers but out of these names five officers were missing. We kept checking where they are but they were last seen in Operation Sindoor acting as fighter aviators for four Rafale and one Su-30 NKI jet. They are not present in training and we could not trace and find them. Their names are Ashok Kumar, Ashish Chauhan, Kumar Patel, Dinesh Patel and Ashok Chakraborty. It is important that the central government sends the exact list so that there remain no discrepancies in the future.”

The fact-checking handle, Armed Forces Fact Check, clarified that the video had been manipulated through fabricated audio, misleading edits and altered content to create the false impression that Lieutenant General Sharma made such statements.

“The circulating video is a manipulated/deepfake piece of content,” the Armed Forces Fact Check handle said, adding that the clip forms part of a deliberate effort to spread false narratives and misinformation.

To counter the false claims, the fact-checking platform shared the original video from which the manipulated content had been derived.

In the authentic recording, Lieutenant General Sharma was addressing the graduation ceremony at the Combat Army Aviation Training School (CATS) and speaking about the successful completion of aviation training courses by Army officers.

The Army Commander stated that 59 officers graduated from the institution, of whom approximately 25 earned their Flying Wings after completing Basic Flying Training. He highlighted the Combat Army Aviation Training School’s role in preparing officers for battlefield and operational deployments through basic, advanced and combat-specific aviation training programmes.

Lieutenant General Sharma also noted that over the past 23 years, the institution has trained 1,794 officers, including around 20 women officers, and has provided training to personnel from friendly foreign countries. He said the number of courses conducted at the school had expanded from three at its inception to 18 at present, with nearly 150 officers receiving training annually.

The Army’s fact-checking unit urged citizens to verify information before sharing it online and cautioned against falling prey to digitally manipulated content designed to create confusion and distrust.