PIB Busts Fake Social Media Claim On Rafale Pilot Casualty

The fact-check unit of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Thursday dismissed a false social media narrative circulating about Indian casualties in Operation Sindoor.

Several Pakistan-based accounts shared an image claiming it showed the last rites of an Indian Air Force Rafale pilot who allegedly died on 7 May.

However, PIB confirmed the claim as ‘completely false’, clarifying that the photo was actually taken in 2008.

Taking to X, the PIB fact-checking unit posted, “An old image is going viral on social media, with many Pakistan-based accounts claiming that it shows the last rites of a Rafale pilot of the #IndianAirForce who died on 7 May 2025. #PIBFactCheck. This claim is completely fake. The image is actually from 2008 and unrelated to the current context.”

The post included a link to a CNN article which used the same image in a report on emissions from Hindu funeral pyres.

According to the image caption it shows people mourning at a mass cremation of 15 schoolgirls on the banks of the River Orsang in Bamroli, Gujarat, on 16 April 2008.

Operation Sindoor

India launched Operation Sindoor on 7 May in response to the 22 April terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives.

The Indian Armed Forces targeted terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, killing over 100 terrorists linked to groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.

The Indian Air Force used Rafale jets armed with SCALP missiles and HAMMER bombs to destroy nine terror sites.

The mission lasted just 23 minutes and resulted in no Indian losses, exposing vulnerabilities in Pakistan’s air defence systems, sources said.

Following the airstrikes, Pakistan responded with cross-border shelling and attempted drone attacks.

India countered with a coordinated assault that damaged radar systems, communication hubs, and airfields across 11 Pakistani airbases.

Hostilities ceased on 10 May, three days after the strikes.

Also Read: PIB Fact-Check Unit Debunks Viral Video On Pahalgam Terror Attack